The man accused of killing a Ridge Meadows Mountie in Coquitlam last fall appeared by video for a court hearing this morning, Jan. 16.
Nicholas Bellemare, 25, is charged with the first-degree murder of Const. Frederick “Rick” O’Brien and the attempted murder of Cpl. Colin Ryder.
The pair and another police officer were executing a search warrant in relation to a drug investigation in Maple Ridge when they were shot.
A regimental funeral for O’Brien in Langley on Oct. 4, 2023, drew thousands of emergency responders from across North America.
Bellemare, who has been remanded in custody since the incident on Sept. 22, 2023, will make his next video appearance before the Port Coquitlam Provincial Court on Feb. 20, Judge Kasandra Cronin told his lawyer Tony Paisana.
A publication ban prevents media from reporting details about the hearing.
Anyone with information about the murder of Const. Rick O'Brien is asked to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at [email protected].
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page to raise money for O'Brien's wife and six children has brought in nearly $176,000.
The crowd fundraiser was started by the National Police Federation Benevolent Foundation in partnership with the National Police Federation.
