Toronto core closes to honor slain officer

TORONTO, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Road barricades began going up Tuesday morning in anticipation of Toronto's largest-ever funeral for a police officer killed by a stolen snow plow.

Sgt. Ryan Russell, 35, was killed Wednesday trying to stop the driver of the stolen plow truck and his death sparked an unprecedented public response in Canada's largest city, local media reported.

Several main streets were closed for a procession leading to the Metro Convention Center, where a funeral was planned for 1 p.m.

Police fire and ambulance workers from across Canada and the United States began arriving Monday to march with the cortege and stand as honor guards, police said.

As many as 10,000 people were expected to line the streets.

Russell was the 40th Toronto officer to die in the line of duty. The last officer killed was Constable Laura Ellis in 2002, whose funeral drew more than 5,000 people, police documents show.

Russell is survived by his wife Christine, who was scheduled to speak at the funeral service, and their 2-year-old son, Nolan.

The man charged with first degree murder in Russell's death, 44-year-old Richard Kachkar, was released from hospital Monday after being treated for gunshot wounds. He is in an undisclosed city jail and scheduled to appear in court Friday, police said.