Slain Mountie remembered for integrity, smile

A Mountie who was recently slain in Nunavut was remembered for his infectious smile and dedication to others, as thousands attended his funeral in Brockville, Ont., on Tuesday.

RCMP Const. Douglas Scott, 20, was shot dead while answering a drunk-driving call in Kimmirut, a community of about 400 people on Baffin Island.
(RCMP/Canadian Press)

Thousands of mourners lined the streets in the city and filled several churches to pay their respects to Const. Douglas Scott, 20.

Scott was serving in the Arctic hamlet of Kimmirut on Baffin Island when he was shot while responding to a drunk driving call on Nov. 5.

Those who gave eulogies at the service at Wall Street United Church, a short distance from Scott's hometown of Lyn, painted a picture of a mature, good-humoured young man who had long dreamed of becoming a police officer.

"The man we knew went to help another on the night of Nov. 5," said Const. Jeff Henderson, one of Scott's RCMP partners in Kimmirut.

"If you had told him he was going to die doing something good for another, he would have gone anyway. He would have driven faster to get there."

RCMP Const. Jeff Henderson said if you had told Scott "he was going to die doing something good for another, he would have gone anyway."
(CBC)

Both Henderson and another partner, Const. David Charette, also shared anecdotes that showed Scott's lighter side.

Charette  recounted how Scott was asked, when he first arrived in Kimmirut, whether he was a wolf or a sheep. When asked to prove he was a wolf, Scott began howling in the office.

Henderson referred to Scott's famously constant smile when he told a story about successfully driving three polar bears out of the village in the middle of the night using very loud explosive devices called bear bangers.

"It may have been the bear bangers, but I think it was all the teeth Doug showed when he was smiling that night. We had that much fun," he said, adding that Scott was known as the "cute cop" among women in Kimmirut.

Scott a 'moral compass': friend

High school friends James Slater and Dmitri Senkov recounted their days working out, riding motorcycles and going to parties with Scott. They both described him as a friend who would always listen and help if someone had a problem.

"Doug was by far the most mature guy I knew our age. He was always our moral compass of the group," Slater said. "He always had a clear thought on what he wanted, he always acted with pride and respect, and he became a man faster than anyone could imagine."

Scott's school friend, James Slater, said Scott was "by far the most mature guy I knew our age."
(CBC)

Before and after the service, thousands of police and civilian mourners lined the streets and filled the grassy courtyard of the courthouse across the street from the church.

A regimental parade of RCMP officers mounted on their iconic black steeds led kilted bagpipers and a scarlet river of officers on foot who solemnly accompanied the hearse to the church before the service.

Two nearby churches and the Brockville Arts Centre were set up with video screens to show the ceremony to overflow crowds.

Students from Thousand Islands Secondary School, which Scott attended until 2005 and where his younger brother is a Grade 11 student, formed an honour guard along King Street, holding small flags in the school colour of purple. Among the students were members of the school's lacrosse team, which Scott played on while in high school.

They were dressed in their team jerseys and plan to retire Scott's No. 9 jersey, principal Arlie Kirkland told CBC News.

Thousands gathered to watch a regimental parade through the streets of Brockville, Ont., to the funeral at Wall Street United Church.
(CBC)

"The whole student population is grieving his loss," she said, adding that students have been invited to sign a condolence book at the school and a scholarship will be set up to honour Scott's memory.

"He was an extremely personable young man. He had the highest ideals, an impressive belief and value system …He always greeted us with a smile every morning," she said. "Doug was extremely focused, extremely goal-oriented and from the time he came to high school, he had a passion for policing."

'Overwhelmed with the stories'

Scott's uncle, Kingston police Staff Sgt. Chris Scott, told CBC Newsworld on Tuesday that more than 1,200 people attended an earlier wake.

"Each one's come up and shared some tidbit of their experiences with Doug," he said.

"As parents and as an uncle, you think you have a pretty good knowledge of all the great things that your son or your nephew has done, but we've been overwhelmed with the stories that have been shared with us and it helps in the healing process."

Pingoatuk Kolola, 37, is charged with first-degree murder in Scott's death.