Moncton RCMP funeral: Community mourns together at satellite sites

Hundreds of people crowded into public viewing locations acrossGreater Moncton onTuesday to watch the regimental funeral for the three Mounties killed in last week's shootings.

The Moncton Coliseum, where the service was held, was filled to capacity with the estimated 7,000 police officers,first responders and dignitaries from across North America.

The service was streamedto 13satellite sites so people could mourn constablesFabrice Georges Gevaudan, Dave Joseph RossandDouglas James Larchetogether.

It helps you to look face to face with each other and realize that you believe in peace, you believe in community, and together youre working on it," said Christine Macleod, who silently watched the three-hour service from CineplexCinemas.

Isolation, I dont think, does us any good.- ChristineMacleod

"Isolation, I dont think, does us any good," she said.

Linda Taylor, who was in the locked down neighbourhood as police searched for the alleged gunman last Wednesday, said being with others from the community to say goodbye to the fallen officers was necessary.

How tragic for those families that Sunday is Fathers Day and so yes, this is really important," she said.

Taylor had also helped carry a peace banner, signed by hundreds of mourners, through the north-end neighbourhood over the weekend as a way of bringing people out of their homes and making peace with what they had gone through.

She said they hoped to gather more signatures before giving it to the RCMP.

The remote sites, which opened at noon for the 1 p.m. service, filled up quickly with people wanting to pay their respects.

Many of them were dressed in red to show their support, while others sported white ribbons symbolizing peace with a Canadian flag pin in the centre.

The Capitol Theatre, in the city's downtown, was at near-capacity, with about 740 people, while the New Brunswick Casino had about 150.

During the service, two Mounties dressed in their red serge uniforms stood in front of the Codiac RCMP detachment, talking with people, shaking hands and getting their pictures taken.