Saskatchewan Mountie plays violin tribute to those killed in Nova Scotia

A Saskatchewan RCMP constable has performed a heartfelt tribute for his colleague Const. Heidi Stevenson, who was one of 22 people killed during a shooting rampage in Nova Scotia on April 18-19.

“When I first heard about the news, there was mixed emotions,” said Const. William Wang, who is stationed in Moosomin, Sask.

“I didn’t know Heidi personally but as first responders we’re all in the same line of work, and one family.”

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Wang started playing the violin in Grade 1 and has stuck with it since.

“Music is a way for everyone to connect with one another and is a language everyone understands. Since I express myself through music … I thought it’d be a nice way to connect with everyone and bring everyone together during this hard time,” Wang said.

In a video posted on YouTube, Wang recorded a musical tribute to Stevenson by playing a cover of “The Prayer” which was made famous by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.

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“I looked up the lyrics and thought it was very fitting,” Wang said. “It’s just a beautiful song in general.”

The constable taught himself to play the song by ear and uploaded the video to YouTube. As of publishing time, the video has been viewed over 61,000 within two days and has amassed dozens of comments.

“She was extremely brave. This job brings out a lot of emotions out of people. We see the worst of people often. We go to different calls, and seeing what she did, I don’t think there are words to describe the sacrifices she made,” Wang said.

“Ultimately she gave up her life to save others and do what she was trained to do which was to stop the threat. There’s nothing you can say to really commemorate what she did for the country.”

Wang says while the video serves as a tribute, he hopes it can bring an understanding that there are many families that are grieving right now.

“We mourn for the loss of the officer, but we also mourn for the loss of the victims and all the people who died as a result from this,” Wang said.

“[I hope] we stay strong during this time, and stay together.”

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