It has been 31 years since Sudbury Police Const. Joe MacDonald was killed in the line of duty. Today, Oct. 7, marks the anniversary of his murder.
The killing of the young officer, who was not yet 30 years old on the day he died, was a tragedy felt not only by his family, but by the entire Sudbury community. It was also a tragedy that led to major changes in policing in Sudbury and Ontario.
The day of the murder
When he left for work that morning, MacDonald had no way of knowing that simply walking out the door that day would put him on a collision course with two dangerous men — Clinton Suzack and Peter Pennett.
Suzack had a particularly violent history. Recently paroled and already wanted for a parole violation, Suzack was a passenger in a car driven by Pennett that evening. Being on parole might be the reason the night went so wrong. The men had illegal drugs on them when MacDonald pulled them over for what he thought was a routine traffic stop.
The 29-year-old — with his wife, Nancy, and two young children waiting for him at home — had no idea what was waiting for him when he approached Pennett’s car.
In his final traffic stop, MacDonald pulled them over on Gordon Street in New Sudbury.
MacDonald’s guard was down when he approached the vehicle, but it emerged later that his lack of concern was misplaced.
The reason his guard was down had to do with the type of communications system in use by Sudbury Police at that time, a communications system that had gaps in service, meaning the constable didn’t know what he was walking into.
The system was upgraded as a result of MacDonald’s murder.
MacDonald pulled the car over and approached the vehicle. As he began filling out the ticket, he was attacked. It was vicious.
MacDonald emptied his six-shot, .38 revolver, striking Suzack twice in the chest and Pennett once in the hand. It didn’t stop what was about to happen.
The men mercilessly beat the officer and pistol-whipped him, before shooting him dead.
A badly wounded Suzack and Pennett were able to flee. After a foot chase, they were captured and, two years later, convicted of first-degree murder and given life sentences without parole for 25 years.
The spotty communications system was not the only thing about the local police service that changed after the constable’s killing. MacDonald's six-shot, .38 calibre revolver was no match for the firepower his killers were carrying. While he emptied his weapon and wounded his Suzack and Pennett, the revolver had to be manually reloaded.
Police have since been equipped with semi-automatic handguns that are higher calibre and easier to reload. MacDonald’s wife, Nancy, lobbied for more powerful firearms and ammunition, as well as other changes, for officers in the wake of her husband’s murder.
MacDonald remembered, honoured
In a 2017 interview, retired Sudbury police chief Alex McCauley said MacDonald's murder shocked the city.
"It hit everyone on the police force and around the community like a hammer," said McCauley, who was the lead investigator in MacDonald's murder. “The MacDonald family has had no respite from this tragedy and this is something they're going to carry with them for the rest of their lives."
McCauley said MacDonald was a good cop and popular with his colleagues.
"Joe was a really good person, he was well-liked, always happy-go-lucky, he was a great community officer and an all around good person."
Today, a bridge in Greater Sudbury has been named in MacDonald's honour. And the Joe MacDonald Football League, which started the year after he was slain, continues to thrive in the city. MacDonald was a former member of the Sudbury Spartans.
It was the idea of local football legend Sid Forster, who wanted to honour the fallen officer. Sadly, Forster himself passed away at the end of the 1994 inaugural season.
Suzack and Pennett
While Peter Pennett is still alive, in 2024, Clinton Suzack, the more violent of the two men, passed away. The Correctional Service of Canada confirmed to Sudbury.com that Suzack died of apparent natural causes on Feb. 18. He was 58 or 59 years old (exact age is unclear).
Pennett, on the other hand, was granted day parole in October 2023, which was extended this past April.
Since his release on day parole on Oct. 16, 2023, Pennett began living at a community-based residential facility (CBRF) under the supervision of the Parole Office.
"After your release, you completed the CBRF's Next Steps Program. You opened a bank account, completed your taxes, obtained your status card, and connected with an Elder and the Indigenous community liaison officer. You worked with a doctor for pain management and applied for the Trillium Drug Benefit," the board decision states. "Your case management team (CMT) held off on referring you to the ICPM Community Maintenance Program as you were enrolled the CBRF program."
Pennett has been working part-time at the residential facilty performing maintenance duties and cleaning.
"You spend most of your time at the CBRF and the YMCA. When you are out, you attend appointments, run errands, and jog," the board stated. "You have been maintaining contact with your family through phone and video calls and text messaging. Your CMT notes that you are highly institutionalized and require time to adjust to your new environment. They report that you openly discuss your anxiety and frustrations with them appropriately."
The board said it received no information that Pennett has breached any of his release conditions.
"All seven of your urinalysis tests have returned negative, other than for prescribed medications," the decision reads. "You are subject to regular alcohol screening at the CBRF and these have returned negative. You have been progressing through the CBRF's curfew and call-in schedules. You routinely update your whereabouts if there are changes to your previously submitted itinerary. You have been completing your daily chores without issue and have demonstrated a positive attitude to reintegration. The CBRF supports your continued residency at their facility for a further period of day parole."
In short, the board found Pennett has been using his time on day parole "for its intended reintegration purposes."
-with files
