An Ontario Provincial Police officer killed in the line of duty in northern Ontario Tuesday afternoon was originally from Brampton and had dreamt of being a police officer, says Mayor Patrick Brown.

“His dream was to serve in public safety and to protect the public, and I know his family is reeling right now,” Brown told CP24 Wednesday morning.

The OPP said Tarun Bali, 29, and members of the James Bay detachment were attempting to stop a vehicle in Hearst, Ont., roughly 950 kilometres north of Toronto, as part of an investigation.

They said that during an “attempted apprehension” of that vehicle, Bali was struck. He died at the scene.

An 18-year-old man, who has been identified by police as Hearst resident Justin Veronneau, was taken into custody by the OPP and a Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service officer following the incident.

Veronneau is facing charges of first-degree murder, assaulting an officer, two counts of fleeing police, resisting arrest, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and dangerous operation causing death.

“The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Hearst on Wednesday, June 24, 2026,” the OPP said in a news release issued Wednesday.

‘We’re going to feel this in Brampton’OPP Provincial Constable Tarun Bali was killed in the line of duty Tuesday afternoon in Hearst. (The Canadian Press) OPP Provincial Constable Tarun Bali was killed in the line of duty Tuesday afternoon in Hearst. (The Canadian Press)

Brown said that he has spoken with Bali’s father, who has informed him that he and his wife will be travelling north to repatriate the body.

“It’s just a stark reminder of the risks that police officers take every day. They run towards danger, so that the rest of us can be safe, and words just do no justice to the magnitude of this loss. We’re going to feel this in Brampton, I think,” he said.

Bali is the second OPP officer to be killed in the line of duty in recent months. In April, Sgt. Brandon Malcolm died in a single-vehicle collision involving a motorcycle on Highway 401 in Cobourg.

CTV News has learned Bali’s body will be transferred to the Chief Coroner’s Office in Toronto for examination and is expected to arrive sometime Wednesday morning.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford reacted to the news of Bali’s death, saying he was “deeply saddened” by the loss.

“On behalf of the people of Ontario, I extend my sincere condolences to his family, loved ones and OPP colleagues. We honour his courage, service and sacrifice.”

Canada’s public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique, and the OPP Association (OPPA) also expressed their condolences, with the latter saying that an incident like this is “every police and family member’s worst nightmare.”

Scott Mills, the strategic communications coordinator of the OPPA, told CP24 Wednesday morning that Bali was a “rookie,” having only been a with the OPP for two-and-a-half years.

Bali was assigned to central Ontario’s Dufferin detachment in Orangeville, but was on deployment with the James Bay detachment at the time of his death.

“It’s kind of extra work for them, and they help with staffing shortages and things like that up in the north,” Mills explained. “So he was going in the extra mile in service to the people of Ontario when he was tragically killed.”

Brown said that funeral details are still being worked out between Bali’s family, the OPP and Peel Regional Police. He said the city will lower its flags to half-mast today to mark Bali’s death.

With files from CTV News Northern Ontario