The Canadian Press

Ontario Provincial Constable Vu Pham is pictured in this undated handout photo. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/ OPP- HO)

An injured OPP officer arrives at hospital in London, Ont., Monday, March 8, 2010.  View larger image Investigators look over the scene of a shooting incident between Ontario Provincial Police Officer Vu Pham, 37 and a motorist he was attempting to stop near the hamlet of Winthrop, Ontario, north of London, Monday, March 8, 2010.(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley)

LONDON, Ont. — Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has identified the man involved in a confrontation that saw an Ontario police officer shot and killed as Fred Preston, 70, of Burk's Falls.

The SUI says Preston remains in critical condition at Victoria Hospital in London.

CTV reports the 70-year-old is the police suspect and was shot eight times during a gunfight with officers.

Ontario Provincial Police Const. Vu Pham was shot and killed Monday after pulling over a vehicle in a rural area northwest of London.

The SIU says six investigators and three forensic investigators are investigating and that three witness officers and one subject officer have been designated.

Burk's Falls is located between Muskoka, in the heart of Ontario's cottage country, and northern Ontario's North Bay.

Sgt. Dave Rektor says the force has lost a "good friend, a great colleague (and) a very good officer."

Rektor adds that many officers are in shock over the death of a man who "loved his career choice" and adored his family.

Pham, a 15-year veteran of the force, was a married father of three boys, aged 12, 10 and seven.

The SIU is a civilian agency that examines incidents involving police and civilians that result in serious injury or death.

Pham is the 104th Ontario Provincial Police officer killed in the line of duty since the force's inception 100 years ago. Twenty four, including Pham, were fatally shot and one was fatally stabbed.

Born in Saigon, Pham joined the force in 1995 and has worked in the Cochrane and Parry Sound detachments.