A former Windsor police chief says when Senior Constable John Atkinson was killed, 'it was like the city lost its innocence.'
Tuesday marks 20 years since the death of the 37-year-old Atkinson, who was shot and killed on the afternoon of May 5, 2006, while investigating a drug deal outside a convenience store near Pillette Road and Seminole Street.
Although struck fatally in the head by a bullet, Atkinson returned fire before falling to his injuries.
Then-Police Chief Glenn Stannard says never in the city's history had a Windsor police officer been killed in the line of duty that way.
Stannard had just returned to his office that day following a meeting with then-mayor Eddie Francis when Deputy Chief Roger Mortimer came and advised him there was an officer down.
Shortly after, he learned John Atkinson had passed, at which point he contacted Mayor Francis, who came to join him.
He says the officers that day did their job and were able to arrest a first suspect within 13 minutes and a second suspect 19 minutes later.
Nikkolas Brennan, 18 years old at the time of the shooting, would later be convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in the case.
Atkinson left behind a wife and two kids.
It was a fellow officer, Frank Bauer, a close friend of the Atkinson family, who helped deliver the news to John's wife Shelley. Stannard and Francis would join them at the house shortly after.
Stannard says Atkinson's daughter had turned 7 years old two days before, and the home showed signs of a birthday party because the family was preparing to celebrate that day so more friends could be there.
"This is a police officer that gave his life. Every day we have first responders, both in Windsor and around the country, that do the same thing. They work and do their job. To take away someone's life who can't go home to their family is a tremendous tragedy," he says.
Stannard says it's important for the community and members of the Windsor Police Service to know and learn about the duty and loss of Senior Constable Atkinson.
"There are a number of police officers that were literally in grade school, and in a few more years, they won't even have been born. They need to know the dedication and the loss of someone like John Atkinson. I think it's something that we can't forget," he says.
Stannard says John had two nicknames; one was 'Smiley' because he always had a smile.
"The best one was Sparky. He kind of lit up whatever room he was going to, whatever room he was in," he says.
Stannard says Atkinson was also a good police officer.
"He worked a lot of off-duty time reading and researching police techniques and how he could do the job better and make his partners better and so on. He was a dedicated police officer," he says.
Stannard says the City of Windsor moved mountains to get things done for the funeral, which he says was the largest funeral service in Windsor's history.
An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 police officers from across North America attended the service along with family members, dignitaries, and members of the public.
Following the service, the officers lined College Avenue as the funeral procession moved to Heavenly Rest Cemetery. Members of the public also lined the route, holding signs in tribute to Atkinson.
Stannard says John was working in the intelligence unit, and one of the last things he did before the shooting was ask about how he did on his promotional exam. Shortly after everything happened, they learned he received the second-highest mark in the Windsor Police Service and was 10 per cent above the rest of the province.
"We gave the envelope to Shelly, and what Shelly did, just to show the connection between her and John, is she took that envelope, kissed the envelope, and put it in John's casket and said, 'John will know.,'" he says.
Atkinson has been remembered with the Senior Constable John Atkinson Memorial Tunnel, a tunnel along the Herb Gray Parkway that's near the entrance to St. Clair College.
The city also renamed the community centre within AKO Park as the Constable John Atkinson Memorial Centre. The park on Alice Street in Windsor is where John played football as a kid.