Police Officer Left to Die After Being Struck by Snowplow
Police officer Ryan Russell was left to die after being hit by a snowplow whose driver is now on trial for the murder. Fellow officer Sgt. Sarah Andrews recounted his final moments for a jury earlier this week.
After responding to the 911 call, Andrews said she was stunned to find a man lying face down on the ground. Witnesses said that Richard Kachkar had been driving a snowplow when Russell attempted to stop him by firing shots. Kachkar did not slow down or stop and instead ran Russell over before driving off.
"I dropped to the ground and I tried to roll the body over," Andrews testified, according to The Ottawa Sun. "I ended up rolling him on top of me and it was at that time I realized it was a police officer. I put my right hand underneath his head and I could feel a hole in the back of his head. There was a lot of blood pouring into my hand."
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Russell's skull had been fractured by the blade of the snowplow, the coroner testified. Another witness added that Russell's body had been dragged by the plow, which did not slow down even after hitting the officer.
"I took his left hand and I held it and I could feel his wedding ring, and I just kept talking to him, telling him that he had to fight and to hold on, help was coming. I kept asking for help on the radio and another officer finally came. He helped me loosen up his vest and I put my hand under his vest to see if I could feel his heart beating. He was warm but I couldn't feel his heart beating," Andrews said.
Russell was later pronounced dead at the hospital. He left behind a wife, son, and numerous friends on the force.
Kachkar has been charged with first-degree murder and dangerous driving. He had stolen the snowplow, with Russell following him in his police car. At one point both men got out of their vehicles, but Kachkar got back into the plow and proceeded to run over Russell. Kachkar is not on trial for the murder, which has been definitively proven, but rather the case is to rule on his mental state and whether he purposely meant to kill Russell.
