“I was in a nightmare”: What Alain Bellefeuille was thinking when he killed an OPP officer

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The firearm, acquired legally around 2012, was kept in his home because it was a large-calibre weapon capable of making a loud noise. Jurors heard that Bellefeuille had previously used the rifle at a shooting range and modified it with aftermarket rails, a compensator, and an adjustable stock. When asked what he had to do to ready it for firing, Bellefeuille replied, “Absolutely nothing. There was a round in the chamber. The magazine was already in the magwell, and the safety was off.” He had modified the magazine to hold about 20 rounds, well above the legal limit of five, because he didn’t want to waste time reloading in an emergency.

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Three gunshot holes, two in the front window and one in the siding, were visible later from outside the home. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIAArticle content

Bellefeuille testified that the house was completely dark. He saw a beam of light and the shadow of a person he believed was armed. “It looked like he had a gun in his hand,” he said of the officer shown holding a flashlight in body-worn camera footage.

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It took fractions of a second for Bellefeuille to fire.

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Asked if he heard anyone say his name or announce they were police, Bellefeuille replied, “No, unfortunately.” He said he didn’t see any identifying insignia or uniforms and would have reacted differently had he known. “I would have been relieved … definitely. I wouldn’t have seen them as a threat,” he said.

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During a 27-second pause in gunfire, Bellefeuile said he waited and hoped the intruder had fled. “I couldn’t see anything,” he said. “There was smoke … my ears were ringing.” But then he heard a shot.

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“The first thing I thought was that someone was armed, and the second thing was that I needed to move … I felt vulnerable, like a sitting duck, at that point.”

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Bellefeuille moved closer to his bedroom door and spotted a flicker of light behind the living room curtain. Believing the threat was ongoing, he fired again, two more shots toward the source of the light.

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The jury has heard that Mueller was fatally wounded almost immediately after entering the home. Const. Marc Lauzon was shot multiple times. Const. François Gamache-Asselin was also struck.

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OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller was shot to death near Bourget, Ont., east of Ottawa, early on Thursday, May 11, 2023. Photo by Ontario Provincial Police handouTArticle content

Inside the house, investigators found camouflage décor, firearms-related signage, electronics, tools, and a mounted deer head above a Browning ball cap. “The house was a bit of a disaster,” said Bellefeuille, who had been in the process of moving and had already packed most of his belongings.

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Forensic photos show the SKS rifle beside the bed. “To have quick access,” Bellefeuille said. He’d stopped sport shooting over a decade earlier, but kept the weapon.

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It was fitted with a scope, though not one equipped for night-vision. “It lights up the crosshair … red if you press it once, green if you press it again. If the object is too close, you wouldn’t see much,” he explained.