Fallen Toronto police officer used to play in Mississauga park that will now bear his name

Long before he was a police officer in Toronto or a successful hockey coach mentoring young players in Oakville and Burlington, Marc Pinizzotto was a kid in Mississauga, playing at neighbourhood parks with his brothers until their mother would put the call out to come home for dinner.

Kids, siblings, pals — doing what kids do.

One park in particular that’s close to the Pinizzotto family home in Lorne Park, just south of the QEW, was — and still is today — of special significance.

Decades ago, the Pinizzotto boys — Marc, the middle child, Jason and Steve — would often be found running around and having fun at Indian Gate Park, located on Indian Road in the heart of the affluent suburban community in southwest Mississauga.

On Wednesday, in memory of and to honour fallen Toronto Police Const. Marc Pinizzotto, 43, Mississauga city council voted unanimously — and emotionally — to rename the park that’s been such a cherished part of the family’s history.

Moving forward, as quickly as new signs can be erected, the City of Mississauga said, the park will be known as Constable Marc Pinizzotto Park.

We’re honouring the life of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, recognizing a Mississauga native who served with courage and gave back to his community – both on and off duty.

Indian Gate Park in Lorne Park will be renamed Constable Marc Pinizzotto Park.

Learn how this tribute… pic.twitter.com/166Ebx5PNx

— City of Mississauga (@citymississauga) June 18, 2026

Having spoken by phone with the fallen constable’s mother not long after her son was shot and killed in the line of duty early on the morning of June 11, Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish said at Wednesday’s special meeting of city council Linda Pinizzotto was touched by the city’s move to rename the park.

“She was thrilled with that (and) said her kids played there all the time; she had to go haul them out for dinner,” the mayor said in addressing councillors, city staff and members of the public who attended the meeting. “So that’s how we came upon that park, and then we moved quickly to put the motion (to rename) together.”

Though the park will quickly take on its new name, Parrish said the city will wait until the Pinizzotto family is ready before organizing an official unveiling ceremony.

The mayor said she also envisions, in time, a memorial plaque and nearby benches at the newly named park to further honour the fallen police officer, “so it is a place of reflection.”

Marc Pinizzotto was born and raised in Mississauga, moving some years later to Oakville where he further developed into an elite hockey player and, eventually, a respected coach as well.

Const. Marc Pinizzotto, his wife Andrea and children, Daniella and Dominic, are seen in this photo provided by Toronto Police.

An 18-year member of the Toronto Police Service, the married father of two teens, Daniella and Dominic, had spent the past five years as a well-liked and respected officer with Toronto’s highly trained Emergency Task Force.

Pinizzotto was alongside his fellow ETF officers executing a search warrant at around 6:30 a.m. on June 11 in the North York area of Toronto when he was shot and killed by a suspect. The warrant was tied to a number of shootings in the Greater Toronto Area.

A suspect who was shot and later hospitalized during that incident will be charged with first-degree murder in Pinizzotto’s death, police have said.

The fallen officer is also survived by his wife, Andrea.

In a news release on Thursday from the City of Mississauga, Parrish further spoke about the officer’s death and park renaming.

“Mississauga mourns the loss of Const. Marc Pinizzotto, a proud Mississauga native whose life was defined by service to others,” she said. “I’m grateful to my council colleagues for their support in renaming this park in his honour, a tribute his family deeply appreciated when we first spoke.

“With deep ties to this neighbourhood, the renamed park is a fitting tribute to his legacy, which will live on in a place so closely connected to his childhood and family.”

Mayor Carolyn Parrish said a Mississauga park is being renamed to honour fallen Toronto Police Const. Marc Pinizzotto, who was killed on June 11 in the line of duty.

City officials added the newly named park “will give the Pinizzotto family and residents a permanent place to remember Pinizzotto’s service, sacrifice and connection to Mississauga.”

Mississauga Ward 2 Coun. Alvin Tedjo, who represents the Lorne Park area, said at council on Wednesday there has been an incredible outpouring of tributes and condolences from the community — including from people who played hockey with or attended high school with Pinizzotto, “from the parents of kids he coached, people who served with him…”

Tedjo added the loss is a deeply felt and tragic one “for everyone in the community … Lorne Park, across Mississauga and Peel, the whole Toronto area.”

By renaming the park, the councillor added, “we are (also) showing everyone who serves the public that we value and we want to commemorate their public service and, ultimately, their sacrifice. Everyone deserves to come home from work, everyone deserves a safe space. The men and women who serve in uniform to protect us are there to protect us and when one of them falls, we’re all affected by it.”

Mississauga Ward 2 Coun. Alvin Tedjo said there’s been a tremendous outpouring of support and tributes from the community as people remember Toronto Police Const. Marc Pinizzotto.

The city also noted that outside of policing, Pinizzotto gave back to his community by coaching and mentoring young hockey players in neighbouring communities, including Oakville and Burlington.

A former elite hockey player who grew up in the local hockey community, he played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League and professionally in Germany before joining the police ranks, city officials added.

Funeral to be held next Wednesday

Toronto Police said the funeral service for Pinizzotto will take place on June 24 at 1 p.m. at the Toronto Congress Centre, North Building, at 650 Dixon Rd. in Etobicoke.

Police officials said members of the public are invited to observe the funeral procession as it travels from the Kane-Jerrett Funeral Home (8088 Yonge St.) in Vaughan to the congress centre.

However, “while we appreciate the public’s support, the funeral is not open to the general public. It will include communities close to the family, police services and emergency service personnel,” Toronto Police added.

A copy of the motion to rename a Mississauga park in honour of fallen Toronto Police Const. Marc Pinizzotto. (Source: City of Mississauga)