CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The death of RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson, killed Sunday responding to the mass shooting in Nova Scotia, has left family and friends on P.E.I. shocked and in mourning.
“We are completely devastated by the tragic loss of our beloved Heidi," says a close relative of Stevenson’s husband, Dean.
“We are privately grieving and ask for your support."
The relative, who spoke to The Guardian on the condition of anonymity, adds the slain officer and her family “have a large family on the Island and (P.E.I.) holds a very special place in their hearts."
Stevenson, a 23-year RCMP veteran and a mother of two, is one of at least 19 deceased victims following the rampage which started in Portapique, N.S., Saturday night and ended at a gas station in Enfield following a car chase just before noon on Sunday. Enfield is about a 90-kilometre drive south of Portapique.
Stevenson left behind a loving husband, a high-school-aged son and a middle-school-aged daughter. She is being remembered as a hands-on mother, who enjoyed yoga on the beach and staying active with her family.
She had been a member of the RCMP Musical Ride and was a liaison officer at Cole Harbour District High School, where she met her future husband.
Sarah Bass, now an RCMP constable in Newfoundland, was a third-year university student in Halifax and part of a group of four people who were about to rent a house when she met Stevenson.
“I started going on ride-alongs with her, and then I applied to the RCMP and she kept taking me,” Bass said.
“I remember asking her what speed is the speed that’s too high that she was going to write a ticket. She said, ‘I can’t write a ticket for a speed that I’ve probably driven. I don’t feel that’s very honest of me.’”
Bass, who has been a member for six years, adopted the same practice. The two officers never worked in the same detachment, but Stevenson remained a mentor.
“If I had a court trial coming up, I’d reach out to her for some advice … She was always just a Facebook message away. What makes me so sad is that I didn’t realize how much just sitting in a vehicle with her (would mean), when I wasn’t even a member. She was coaching me along.”
As a standout rugby player, first for Acadia University and then later for Nova Scotia, Stevenson played one of the most important positions on the pitch – and played the game with joy.
“She usually played out-half, number ten,” said Steve Lenihan, who coached Stevenson in both provincial and senior rugby.
“My memory of Heidi is the contagious smile. She was always smiling and laughing and really enjoyed life. She was a very happy person, very committed, very good athlete. In the world of rugby, we talk about bravery, and she was a brave player, she didn’t hesitate to step up. When the team needed it, she would always step up. Strong leader of the team, but caring and compassionate as a human.”
With files from Bill Spurr/The Chronicle-Herald
