WARMINGTON: Slain OPP officer's body flown to coroner as accused killer appears in court
· Toronto Sun
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It’s a tale of two young Ontario men and a tragedy that has rocked the whole province.
One – Const. Harun Bali, of Brampton – was serving as a cop in a remote Northern Ontario community when he was allegedly slain while on duty.
The other – Justin Veronneau, of Hearst, Ont. – is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection stemming from the officer’s death.
This is a dark day for Ontario.
On one side of the province you have an 18-year-old accused of murdering an OPP officer preparing to make his first court appearance, and on the other side you have a grieving family gathering to collectively absorb their pain.
This pain began Tuesday afternoon when they were notified their loved one had been killed in an incident near Hearst in which the officer, with the aid of a spike belt, attempted to stop the fleeing vehicle with a driver police say had escaped from an area hospital he was being detained at under the Mental Health Act.
“On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at approximately 12:30 p.m., members of the James Bay OPP were attempting to stop a vehicle as part of an ongoing investigation,” the OPP said in a statement released Wednesday. “During the attempted apprehension, an officer was struck by the vehicle.”
“The officer, OPP Provincial Constable Tarun Bali, was seriously injured and was later pronounced deceased,” police explained.
Sources say the car in question kept going but was eventually stopped.
Fulfilled his dreamed of becoming a police officer
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique talked of seeing a picture of Bali as a child in the family’s home next to a police officer – the beginning of his dream to become one.
“OPP members and a Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service member took the individual into custody,” the OPP said.
The Criminal Investigations Branch of the OPP has not only determined this to be a homicide but have declared it to be first-degree murder. In addition, Veronneau has also been charged with assault police, two counts of flight from police, resisting arrest, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.
Meanwhile, it was a difficult scene Wednesday on a street in Brampton where friends and family were dropping by to pay their respects to Const. Harun Bali’s family.
“He was a wonderful person,” said one family friend, who arrived with a carload of people to help this family go through the hell of losing their son.
Const. Bali was the pride of his neighbourhood
It turns out the young officer, who joined the OPP in 2023 and was on loan to the James Bay detachment for a short deployment from the Dufferin County OPP station, wasn’t only loved by his family – he wa s actually loved by his whole neighbourhood.
Bali was the pride of his street.
“People were very proud of him being a police officer,” one neighbour said. “His family is very well respected and so is he.”
Another neighbour was holding back tears as he said, “Harun used to play basketball right on this driveway with my kids.”
He was well suited to be a cop.
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Bali’s father Ashok was clearly shaken and sombre after receiving the news Tuesday and said he and his family will grieve privately for now but may speak about his son in time.
Mayor Patrick Brown said the whole city of Brampton is mourning this loss of a very good person who comes from a great family.
Brown said city council had a moment of silence for the fallen officer and he ordered all Brampton flags to be lowered to half mast.
Meanwhile, the OPP is scheduled to fly the officer’s remains back from Hearst to the Simcoe airport before travelling along Hwy. 400 to Hwy. 401 and to the Centre of Forensic Sciences headquarters near Keele St.
The public and police services are expected to be on the overpasses and at the entrance of the coroner’s office but have been asked to not join the motorcade transporting his remains.
The OPP said there will be an official procession and special moving tribute upon moving from the coroner’s office to the location of his funeral.
Arrangements will be announced later this week.
For now the focus is on lauding the efforts of a young cop who not only did a lot in a short time but had plans to do more in a long career.