A little while ago I was assigned to photograph 2 cops.

Way back in 1984 they had responded to a suspicious activity tip at the Bayshore
Shopping Centre parking lot. Turned out a gang of armed robbers was going to
knock over a Brinks truck that contained about a million dollars cash.

Long story short…..all hell broke loose, big gun fight, one robber dead, the others
fled and both cops got shot. At this point their lives diverged.

Ralph Erfle, shot in the head, went on to recovery and back to active police duty.
Robin Easy, shot in the back of his neck, would never walk again.

I photographed Ralph first. He’s now a Superintendent with the Ottawa Police.
Fit, good posture, active and living the life.

A couple of days later I met Robin.

I’d known the story all along but must admit to an almost overwhealming sense of
saddness when I saw him. I think the contrast between the two men, who at one
time probably shared similar goals, just really brought home a fact of life.

The future is unwritten. Who knows what will happen tomorrow (or even later today).

(click on images to enlarge)