Christopher Garnier, accused in police officer Catherine Campbell's death, fired

Christopher Calvin Garnier's former employer said the man accused of killing a Truro police officer was fired just two days after starting work with a safety equipment company in Halifax.

Garnier was charged Thursday morning with second-degree murder and interfering with a body in the death of Const. Catherine Campbell, of the Truro Police Service.

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Campbell was a six-year veteran with Truro police who also volunteered as a firefighter for the past decade. She was found dead under the Macdonald Bridge in Halifax on Wednesday morning. Police say she was last seen in the early hours of Sept. 11 at a downtown Halifax bar.

Rob Green, a branch manager of K&D Pratt Maritimes, told CBC News that his company hired Garnier recently and he started work on Monday. He was fired on Wednesday when he failed to report to work.

Hired as salesperson

"Everyone here at our company certainly are in shock this morning. None of us really knew Chris all that well. He's only been with the company for basically two days," Green said Thursday.

"Even prior to this morning's announcement, we had taken steps yesterday to terminate his employment for failure to show up at work."

Green said Garnier was recently hired as a salesperson for fire suppression systems.

"He was quiet and soft spoken. I don't really have any other impression than that. Nothing struck me about him in any way," he said.

Green said Garnier was questioned by police for more than an hour on Tuesday in the back of an unmarked vehicle.

"He said police wanted to talk to him about an ongoing investigation, and thought he might be able to help him with it. And that was it and we moved on," said Green.

Police say they arrested their suspect 1:20 a.m. Wednesday.

'Our feelings certainly go out to them'

Garnier was also a part of the team at Safety P.A.T.H. Inc., which advises employers, labour industry associations and law enforcement agencies on workplace health and safety.

According to Garnier's profile on the company's website, he was a medical first responder and was enrolled in 2013 in Dalhousie's occupational health and safety management program.

Brendan Elliott, a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality, said Garnier worked as a volunteer firefighter with Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency from October 2009 to February 2011.

Green said Garnier's experience as a firefighter seemed a good fit for the new job at K&D Pratt Maritimes. Fellow workers are thinking about Campbell's family and the Truro Police Service, said Green.

"Everyone's quite in shock about the poor woman in question and her family. And certainly our hearts and our feelings certainly go out to them at what clearly must be an extraordinarily difficult time for them," he said.

'Everybody loved him'

Kevin Clarke, who worked with Garnier for about a year at Goodlife Fitness in the Halifax area, considers him a friend. He said Garnier was a personal trainer and that he "got along great" with him.

Clarke is having trouble reconciling the news of Garnier's charges with his friend.

"I'm still kind of in shock, kind of processing it. I can't believe it. It feels like someone you've known for a long time and that they're just it kind of feels like they're gone. You have to kind of grieve that," said Clarke.

"Hopefully, things work out for him. He's very giving. He'd give you the shirt off his back. He's one of the nicest guys I know. I can't imagine this. It's surreal."

Clarke said his fiance hired Garnier as a personal trainer and had nothing but good things to say about him.

"From what I know, his clients actually love him. When he transferred clubs, different clubs, they actually went with him they loved him that much," said Clarke. "Everybody loved him."