Paramedics who tried to save Czapnik identified
Posted by admin on January 21, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Last Updated: Friday, January 15, 2010 | 2:00 PM ET
CBC News
Paramedics, left to right, Craig McInnes, Virginia Warner, Patricia St. Denis and Amanda Walkowiak rushed to help Const. Eric Czapnik as he was being stabbed to death on Dec. 29. (Ottawa Paramedic Service)
The Ottawa Paramedic Service has released the names of the four paramedics who intervened in the fatal stabbing of an Ottawa police officer, saying they showed “courage and professionalism” in what was a “dangerous and traumatic incident.”
Craig McInnes, 41; Patricia St. Denis, 24; Amanda Walkowiak, 26; and Virginia Warner, 29, rushed to help 51-year-old Const. Eric Czapnik on Dec. 29, the service confirmed Wednesday.
They had been inside the emergency department of the Ottawa Hospital’s Civic Campus when they spotted a man attacking Czapnik. Three of the paramedics reportedly disarmed and subdued the attacker while the fourth tried unsuccessfully to save Czapnik’s life.
Kevin Gregson, 43, a suspended RCMP officer from Saskatchewan, has been charged with first-degree murder in the incident.
Anthony Di Monte, chief of the Ottawa Paramedic Service, said McInnes, St. Denis, Walkowiak and Warner represent the “very best of our profession.”
“I am proud of their courage and professionalism during such a dangerous and traumatic incident,” he said in a statement.
However, he said the four cannot comment on the incident until the related court case is over to “ensure the integrity” of the court proceedings. He added that they are legally and ethically bound to respect and protect patient confidentiality.
