A man accused of killing a Mountie in Coquitlam last fall appeared by video before a Port Coquitlam provincial court judge this morning, March 19.
Nicholas Bellemare, 25, remains in custody in connection with the first-degree murder of Const. Frederick “Rick” O’Brien and the attempted murder of Cpl. Colin Ryder.
Judge Anja Brown agreed to adjourn the case to April 9 at 9:45 a.m.; details about the hearing cannot be printed due to a publication ban.
According to police statements, it is alleged Bellemare shot and killed O’Brien while he and two other Mounties with the Ridge–Meadows detachment were executing a search warrant in relation to a drug investigation in Maple Ridge.
The shooting took place in a condo on Glen Drive in Coquitlam. Bellemare was also wounded, as was the third officer.
A regimental funeral for O’Brien — a father of six — on Oct. 4, 2023, drew thousands of emergency responders from across North America to the Langley Events Centre.
