Funeral for slain Toronto officer Marc Pinizzotto set for June 24 in Etobicoke

A private funeral for Toronto Police Const. Marc Pinizzotto, killed in the line of duty, is scheduled for June 24 at the Toronto Congress Centre.

Private service for fallen Const. Pinizzotto scheduled for Wednesday, June 24

A private funeral for Toronto Police Constable Marc Pinizzotto, shot and killed last Thursday while helping serve a search warrant in North York, will be held on June 24 at 1 p.m. at the Toronto Congress Centre on Dixon Road in Etobicoke, Toronto Sun Crime reports.

The service is restricted to family members, fellow officers and emergency personnel. The Toronto Police Service confirmed in a statement that the funeral will not be open to the general public.

"The Toronto Police Service would like to thank members of the public who have offered their support and condolences," the statement read. "While we appreciate the public's support, the funeral is not open to the general public."

Members of the public are invited to line the procession route from Kane-Jerrett Funeral Home in Thornhill to the Toronto Congress Centre. Details about the route and broadcast arrangements for the service are expected to be released in the coming days. Private visitations will also be held ahead of the ceremony.

Pinizzotto, 43, was an 18-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service and a member of the Emergency Task Force. He was assisting with a search warrant connected to a series of shootings targeting the U.S. Consulate and local synagogues when he was shot at an apartment complex in the Black Creek and Trethewey Drives area. He was pronounced dead at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Nicholas Bennett, 19, was shot during the exchange of gunfire and is expected to face a charge of first-degree murder.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw addressed the case Tuesday, describing it as "complex" and acknowledging the loss publicly. "We lost one of our own," Demkiw said. "Const. Marc Pinizzotto's service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. We remain focused on holding those responsible accountable and on continuing the work needed to prevent further violence in our city."

Pinizzotto is survived by his wife Andrea and their children Daniella and Dominic.

His death came in the same week as that of OPP Constable Tarun Bali, 29, a Brampton native who was struck and killed during an investigation in northern Ontario. An 18-year-old from Hearst, Ont., has been charged with murder and other offences in connection with Bali's death. A funeral for Bali is scheduled for Thursday morning at the Mississauga Sports and Entertainment Centre.

The deaths of both officers prompted an outpouring of public support, including efforts by municipal leaders to honour them. Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish intends to put forward a motion on Wednesday to rename Indian Gate Park after Pinizzotto — a park in the city's south end where Pinizzotto and his brothers played as children, Parrish noted. On the same day, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown plans to ask council to work with Bali's family to identify a suitable location to commemorate his service.

Source: Toronto Sun Crime