FREDERICTON — Jackie McLean and her common-law partner Const. Robb Costello used to keep location-tracking services active on their phones so they could see where the other was. Often, when Costello was at the Fredericton police station near the Saint John River, McLean's phone would tell her he was in the middle of the waterway.
"I would take a screenshot of it and text it to him and say, 'You're in the middle of the river again,'" McLean recalled with a laugh. "It's kind of appropriate that this monument will be in the middle of the river."
The city has just announced plans for a memorial to Costello and three other people who were killed in 2018 by a gunman hiding inside an apartment building on Fredericton's north side.
Called "Guardian," it will be installed on one of the stone piers remaining from a dismantled bridge that crossed the Saint John. Every evening, the pier will light up with a gentle blue glow, which will grow stronger through the night before dimming and turning off by dawn.
The killings of Costello, fellow Const. Sara Burns, and two civilians — Donald Adam Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright -- shook the city. And Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers said there was a "collective sigh" when designers presented the memorial concept to council last week.
"It's perfect," Rogers said. "It immediately resonated with people on council. It has that broad appeal to many of us who were very closely impacted by those shootings."
The city said the memorial, which will be visible from both sides of the river as well as from two adjacent bridges, is also a tribute to "past and present first responders."
The memorial's design team was led by John Leroux, manager of collections and exhibitions at Fredericton's Beaverbrook Art Gallery. He said they chose blue because it is often associated with policing but also because it is so striking in the evening. "It's got a very spiritual nature to it," he said.
The lighting at night is a metaphor, he said, for police who look after the city while people sleep. Leroux said he and the police officers who helped plan the monument wanted to move away from statues, which seemed like an "antiquated" symbol. He said there will be benches facing the pier, and plaques that explain whom the memorial honours.
Costello and Burns were killed at around 7 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2018, while trying to help Robichaud and Wright, the two civilians shot by a man who was firing from his window at the apartment complex. In 2020, a jury found Matthew Raymond not criminally responsible for the killings after his defence argued he had a mental illness and believed he was defending himself from demons.
McLean said she would have been happier if the city had done something sooner; nonetheless, she said she is "very pleased" with what is being proposed to honour the two officers and two civilians. Fredericton said the memorial will be completed by the end of next year.
She said she was touched when Fredericton Police Chief Martin Gaudet gave her a presentation about the monument earlier this year. "I think it's really beautiful," she said.
"It's more of a beacon that represents not just Robb and Sarah, but the civilian victims as well. It also represents our serving police officers, the people who keep our community safe right now."
She said it's unfortunate that people won't be able to see the memorial during the day. She suggested the pier be painted blue so it stands out when it's not lit. "I understand the symbolism behind it, and I understand the emotional impact of it, and I think it's important," McLean said.
In the six years since the shooting, it seems as though the community has started to forget about the sacrifice of the two officers, she said. "So for there to be a memorial … it means a lot to me. It recognizes their loss, their sacrifice, and the tragedy that affected our community."
McLean said she spends time remembering Costello in her own way, and sometimes those memories are sad because she knows he's not there to make new ones.
Until recently, she said she saw reminders of him around the city, like when she spotted his old patrol car — vehicle number 306 — a sight that she said wasn't unpleasant because it told her his spirit was out there in the world and making an impact. The car has since been retired.
"So this monument will be sort of a continuation of that. I'm not going to see his car on the road anymore, but every time I see this monument, I will be reminded of him, and it'll be in a happy way, and not necessarily in a sad remembrance."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2024.
Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
