‘I know how it hurts’: Widower of RCMP officer Sarah Beckett shares pain of fallen Abbotsford officer’s family

If anyone knows what the family of fallen Abbotsford police Const. John Davidson is going through, it’s Brad Aschenbrenner.

His wife, RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett, was killed last April by an impaired driver while Beckett was on duty in Langford.

No other B.C. police officer has been killed in the line of duty since that day — until Davidson succumbed to injuries sustained in a shootout allegedly at the hands of Alberta suspect Oscar Arfmann on Monday afternoon.

Watching the tragedy unfold from his Vancouver Island home this week, Aschenbrenner found himself reliving the memories of April 5, 2016.

“I had to sit there, and it all went through my mind again,” he said. “Losing another officer, it’s just horrible.”

WATCH: The community of Abbotsford continues to come together after the death in the line of duty of Constable John Davidson.

2:06 Abbotsford comes together after death of police constable

The widower, who is now raising his two young sons on his own, felt solidarity for Davidson’s family, and wanted to speak about his experience for the first time.

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“For his wife, for his kids to receive that phone call or doorknock, whatever it is… I know how it hurts. I feel for you.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "For his wife, for his kids to receive that phone call or doorknock, whatever it is… I know how it hurts. I feel for you."

Accepting support

Beckett was patrolling in her RCMP cruiser when a pickup truck plowed through a red light and struck her as she passed through an intersection.

The driver, Kenneth Fenton, pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death. He was sentenced to four years in prison this past July.

1:46 Langford mourns Cst. Sarah Beckett

• Langford mourns Cst. Sarah Beckett
• Charges laid against Langford man in crash that killed Cst. Sarah Beckett
• Constable Sarah Beckett’s killer pleads guilty
• Memorial held for fallen officer Sarah Beckett
• RCMP memorial service remembers Const. Sarah Beckett who died in line of duty
• Man tied to crash that killed RCMP Cst. Sarah Beckett believed to be involved in another collision
• IIO to investigate crash that killed RCMP Cst. Sarah Beckett
• Montage of Cst. Sarah Beckett’s regimental funeral

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Just like in Abbotsford this week, the Langford community and first responders across the country offered their support and friendship to Beckett’s family in the wake of her death.

Aschenbrenner says he found it hard to accept that support at first, but now admits it was vital to his recovery and is thankful to everyone who reached out to him and his family.

“It’s going to be a strong community and a strong support system for you,” he said, in a message intended for Davidson’s family. “Please, please accept it.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's going to be a strong community and a strong support system for you," he said, in a message intended for Davidson's family. "Please, please accept it."

Reminders of Beckett and her sacrifice can be found throughout Langford. A memorial plaque lies in the grass just outside the RCMP detachment, and emergency vehicles across the city are emblazoned with dark blue ribbons in their front windows in her honour.

Aschenbrenner says the Abbotsford Police Department’s own mourning period will be similarly difficult.

“To everyone that goes on shift, they’re going to have to relive that,” he says. “And I can’t imagine what they’re going to be going through.”

As he and his family continues to heal more than a year and a half later, Aschenbrenner knows Davidson’s family’s journey is just beginning.

“There’s a long road to recovery for everybody.”

The suspect in Davidson’s death, Oscar Arfmann, has been charged with first degree murder. The 65-year-old is recovering from injuries he sustained in the shootout.