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Rochfort Bridge, Alta. - Four Alberta RCMP officers were shot and killed during an investigation into a marijuana grow operation Thursday in the worst single case of police deaths in Canada in 120 years.
"It's my sad duty to inform you that four members of the RCMP were killed today in the line of duty - four brave, young members," said assistant commissioner Bill Sweeney, commanding officer of the RCMP in Alberta.
"We're all in terrible shock and mourning."
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the four officers were at a quonset shed on a farm near the village of Rochfort Bridge in northwestern Alberta when they were shot by a suspect, who was also found in the shed. Oakes said he was known to police, but he would not say if the man had a criminal record.
A government source told The Canadian Press the suspect killed himself after shooting the officers.
"He just cut them down," the source said.
It was not immediately clear if the suspect killed himself right away. The source said he may have shot at other officers on the scene first.
Oakes said emergency responders went into the shed and found the dead officers. Several other Mounties on the property were able to get behind cover.
"The loss of four police officers is unprecedented in recent history," Sweeney said. "I'm told you have to go back to about 1885 in the RCMP history during the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude.
"It's devastating."
The killings touched off shockwaves across Canada.
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan quickly held a news conference to say she will consider tougher penalties for grow operations in the proposed marijuana decriminilization bill.
Prime Minister Paul Martin called it an act of "brutality" and offered his condolences to the families of the slain officers.
RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli called it "an unprecedented and unspeakable loss."
He said the officers went to work Thursday, not knowing they "would be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice."
Sweeney said the four officers were junior members - three from the Mayerthorpe, Alta., detachment, the other from nearby Whitecourt, Alta. He said names would not be released until family members were notified.
Sweeney said he couldn't give details on what happened until all the facts were gathered.
Alberta Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko said he and Sweeney were to meet with the families of the dead.
"This issue was senseless in the fact that four officers were killed with regard to a grow operation," he said. "(It) goes to the seriousness of the fact that organized crime, illegal cultivation of marijuana or the illegal production of crystal meth is all around us in the province."
There had been confusion all day about the fate of the officers after the first reports that shots were fired at a farm near Rochfort Bridge, a village of about 60 people. A lack if information initially led to conflicting reports about what happened.
Cenaiko had told reporters four officers were not responding to their radios and referred to "a very serious situation."
Sgt. Rick Oncescu of the Calgary RCMP said two SWAT teams were called into the area and Mounties from surrounding jurisdictions also responded.
Maj. Scott Lundy, a spokesman for Edmonton Garrison, said the military received a request just after 12:30 p.m. from the RCMP for assistance. He said two armoured personnel carriers, an ambulance and about 20 military personnel were dispatched from the military base shortly after that.
About two hours later, police told the military their help was no longer needed.
"I have confirmed we have been stood down," he said.
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said he was surprised and saddened that such a tragedy would occur in the quiet farming community, about 130 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
"Maybe it says something about how the criminal mind is changing . . .to move from big cities so perhaps they won't be noticed as much as they would in a larger centre," he said.
He later issued a news release expressing condolences to the families of the slain officers, as well as their colleagues.
"It saddens me beyond words," he said. "Their loss is immeasurable"
Some key events in the fatal shooting Thursday of four RCMP officers in northern Alberta:
March 2, mid-day: RCMP in Mayerthorpe, Alta., who are investigating a report of stolen property and a marijuana grow operation, set up a watch at a farm near the village of Rochfort Bridge. Two officers guard the scene overnight.
March 3, morning: Additional officers arrive.
10 a.m.: Gunfire erupts inside a quonset shed on the property. Four officers inside are killed by a suspect with a high-powered rifle. At least two other officers on site are able to take cover. At least one of them returns fire.
In the following hours: RCMP and city police from Edmonton and Calgary flood into the area and set up a secure perimeter. Airspace over the area is closed as a precaution.
12:30 p.m.: RCMP issue a call for assistance from soldiers at Edmonton Garrison. Two armoured personnel carriers, an ambulance and about 20 military personnel are dispatched. The military officials are later told their help is no longer needed.
2:20 p.m.: Emergency responders enter the quonset shed, and find the bodies of four RCMP officers and the male shooter.
The fatal shooting of four RCMP officers in Rochfort Bridge, Alta., on Thursday is the worst multiple killing of on-duty police in Canada since the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, according to RCMP Commanding Officer Bill Sweeney.
A brief look at that fatal incident 120 years ago:
Seventeen members of the Northwest Mounted Police, forerunner of the RCMP, were killed and several others wounded on March 26, 1885 during an unplanned 40-minute battle with Metis in Duck Lake, Sask. Five Metis also died.
Following the Duck Lake killings, the federal government created a 3,000-troop Canadian Militia Force to squash the rebels.
Two months later, the Metis were defeated and their leader, Louis Riel, was found guilty of treason and later hanged.
The Northwest Rebellion began because the Metis people living in what is now Saskatchewan felt their traditional lifestyle was being threatened with the arrival of Ontario settlers and the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Many Metis had relocated further west from Manitoba following the 1869-70 Red River Rebellion.
The killing of four RCMP officers Thursday during a raid on a marijuana grow operation in northwestern Alberta appears to be the worst case of police dying in the line of duty in recent memory. A list of some of the other Canadian police officers known to have died on the job since 2000:
Nov. 13, 2004 - Auxiliary RCMP officer Glen Evely, 39, of Vernon, B.C., when a stolen truck ran a red light and struck his cruiser.
May 23, 2004 - Ontario Provincial Police Const. Tyler Boutilier, 32, of the Grenville detachment, killed when his cruiser was struck by an oncoming vehicle in his lane as he answered an emergency call at a campground.
May 15, 2004 - Const. Chris Garrett, 39, of the force in Cobourg, Ont., slashed in the neck with a hunting knife after responding to a 911 call about a robbery in the parking lot of an abandoned hospital.
Feb. 28, 2004 - Cpl. Jim Galloway, 53, an RCMP dog handler stationed in Sherwood Park, Alta., killed during a gunfight after an armed standoff in which the suspect also died.
Sept. 20, 2003 - Ontario Provincial Police Const. John Flagg, 55, killed when his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck during a high-speed pursuit near Almonte, Ont.
May 27, 2003 - Const. Philip Shrive, 49, of the provincial police detachment in Renfrew, died in hospital a week after after his cruiser was struck by an oncoming truck.
Dec. 18, 2002 - RCMP Supt. Dennis Massey, 53, killed in Calgary when a propane tanker truck's trailer toppled over and landed on his car.
Sept. 15, 2002 - Richmond, B.C., RCMP Const. Jimmy Ng died when his police cruiser was broadsided, sending him flying through the rear window.
March 12, 2002 - Banff RCMP Const. Christine
Diotte, 35, killed when a sport utility vehicle slid on an icy patch of road and crashed into her while investigating another accident.
Feb. 28, 2002 - Montreal Const. Benoit L'Ecuyer, 29, shot and killed during a chase with a speeding car.
Feb. 18, 2002 -Toronto Const. Laura Ellis, 31, killed when the police cruiser she was a passenger in collided with another car and then struck a utility pole while responding to an emergency call.
Dec. 23, 2001 - Const. Martin Lefebvre, 22, of
Shawinigan, Que., died after losing control of his patrol vehicle while answering an emergency call.
Dec. 20, 2001 - RCMP Const. Dennis Strongquill, 52, shot after pursuing a stolen car in Russell, Man.
Oct. 17, 2001 - Calgary Const. Darren Beatty, 29, a member of the department's elite tactical unit, died after he was shot by a colleague in a hostage-taking simulation during a training exercise.
March 5, 2001 - RCMP Const. Jurgen Seewald, shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute in Cape Dorset, Nunavut.
Aug. 28, 2000 - Const. Alain Forget, killed when thieves rammed a police car at a roadblock in St-Hubert, Que.
Aug. 16, 2000 - RCMP Sgt. Ed Mobley and pilot Tim Nicholson died when their plane crashed in northern British Columbia during a training exercise.
June 9, 2000 - Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Marg Eve, died two days after a truck hit three police cars and another vehicle stopped on the side of Highway 401 near London, Ont.
Source: Yahoo! News Canada
Copyright: 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Contact: mailto:ca-full-coverage@yahoo-inc.com?subject=Comment
Website: Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines
"It's my sad duty to inform you that four members of the RCMP were killed today in the line of duty - four brave, young members," said assistant commissioner Bill Sweeney, commanding officer of the RCMP in Alberta.
"We're all in terrible shock and mourning."
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the four officers were at a quonset shed on a farm near the village of Rochfort Bridge in northwestern Alberta when they were shot by a suspect, who was also found in the shed. Oakes said he was known to police, but he would not say if the man had a criminal record.
A government source told The Canadian Press the suspect killed himself after shooting the officers.
"He just cut them down," the source said.
It was not immediately clear if the suspect killed himself right away. The source said he may have shot at other officers on the scene first.
Oakes said emergency responders went into the shed and found the dead officers. Several other Mounties on the property were able to get behind cover.
"The loss of four police officers is unprecedented in recent history," Sweeney said. "I'm told you have to go back to about 1885 in the RCMP history during the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude.
"It's devastating."
The killings touched off shockwaves across Canada.
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan quickly held a news conference to say she will consider tougher penalties for grow operations in the proposed marijuana decriminilization bill.
Prime Minister Paul Martin called it an act of "brutality" and offered his condolences to the families of the slain officers.
RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli called it "an unprecedented and unspeakable loss."
He said the officers went to work Thursday, not knowing they "would be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice."
Sweeney said the four officers were junior members - three from the Mayerthorpe, Alta., detachment, the other from nearby Whitecourt, Alta. He said names would not be released until family members were notified.
Sweeney said he couldn't give details on what happened until all the facts were gathered.
Alberta Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko said he and Sweeney were to meet with the families of the dead.
"This issue was senseless in the fact that four officers were killed with regard to a grow operation," he said. "(It) goes to the seriousness of the fact that organized crime, illegal cultivation of marijuana or the illegal production of crystal meth is all around us in the province."
There had been confusion all day about the fate of the officers after the first reports that shots were fired at a farm near Rochfort Bridge, a village of about 60 people. A lack if information initially led to conflicting reports about what happened.
Cenaiko had told reporters four officers were not responding to their radios and referred to "a very serious situation."
Sgt. Rick Oncescu of the Calgary RCMP said two SWAT teams were called into the area and Mounties from surrounding jurisdictions also responded.
Maj. Scott Lundy, a spokesman for Edmonton Garrison, said the military received a request just after 12:30 p.m. from the RCMP for assistance. He said two armoured personnel carriers, an ambulance and about 20 military personnel were dispatched from the military base shortly after that.
About two hours later, police told the military their help was no longer needed.
"I have confirmed we have been stood down," he said.
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said he was surprised and saddened that such a tragedy would occur in the quiet farming community, about 130 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
"Maybe it says something about how the criminal mind is changing . . .to move from big cities so perhaps they won't be noticed as much as they would in a larger centre," he said.
He later issued a news release expressing condolences to the families of the slain officers, as well as their colleagues.
"It saddens me beyond words," he said. "Their loss is immeasurable"
Some key events in the fatal shooting Thursday of four RCMP officers in northern Alberta:
March 2, mid-day: RCMP in Mayerthorpe, Alta., who are investigating a report of stolen property and a marijuana grow operation, set up a watch at a farm near the village of Rochfort Bridge. Two officers guard the scene overnight.
March 3, morning: Additional officers arrive.
10 a.m.: Gunfire erupts inside a quonset shed on the property. Four officers inside are killed by a suspect with a high-powered rifle. At least two other officers on site are able to take cover. At least one of them returns fire.
In the following hours: RCMP and city police from Edmonton and Calgary flood into the area and set up a secure perimeter. Airspace over the area is closed as a precaution.
12:30 p.m.: RCMP issue a call for assistance from soldiers at Edmonton Garrison. Two armoured personnel carriers, an ambulance and about 20 military personnel are dispatched. The military officials are later told their help is no longer needed.
2:20 p.m.: Emergency responders enter the quonset shed, and find the bodies of four RCMP officers and the male shooter.
The fatal shooting of four RCMP officers in Rochfort Bridge, Alta., on Thursday is the worst multiple killing of on-duty police in Canada since the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, according to RCMP Commanding Officer Bill Sweeney.
A brief look at that fatal incident 120 years ago:
Seventeen members of the Northwest Mounted Police, forerunner of the RCMP, were killed and several others wounded on March 26, 1885 during an unplanned 40-minute battle with Metis in Duck Lake, Sask. Five Metis also died.
Following the Duck Lake killings, the federal government created a 3,000-troop Canadian Militia Force to squash the rebels.
Two months later, the Metis were defeated and their leader, Louis Riel, was found guilty of treason and later hanged.
The Northwest Rebellion began because the Metis people living in what is now Saskatchewan felt their traditional lifestyle was being threatened with the arrival of Ontario settlers and the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Many Metis had relocated further west from Manitoba following the 1869-70 Red River Rebellion.
The killing of four RCMP officers Thursday during a raid on a marijuana grow operation in northwestern Alberta appears to be the worst case of police dying in the line of duty in recent memory. A list of some of the other Canadian police officers known to have died on the job since 2000:
Nov. 13, 2004 - Auxiliary RCMP officer Glen Evely, 39, of Vernon, B.C., when a stolen truck ran a red light and struck his cruiser.
May 23, 2004 - Ontario Provincial Police Const. Tyler Boutilier, 32, of the Grenville detachment, killed when his cruiser was struck by an oncoming vehicle in his lane as he answered an emergency call at a campground.
May 15, 2004 - Const. Chris Garrett, 39, of the force in Cobourg, Ont., slashed in the neck with a hunting knife after responding to a 911 call about a robbery in the parking lot of an abandoned hospital.
Feb. 28, 2004 - Cpl. Jim Galloway, 53, an RCMP dog handler stationed in Sherwood Park, Alta., killed during a gunfight after an armed standoff in which the suspect also died.
Sept. 20, 2003 - Ontario Provincial Police Const. John Flagg, 55, killed when his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck during a high-speed pursuit near Almonte, Ont.
May 27, 2003 - Const. Philip Shrive, 49, of the provincial police detachment in Renfrew, died in hospital a week after after his cruiser was struck by an oncoming truck.
Dec. 18, 2002 - RCMP Supt. Dennis Massey, 53, killed in Calgary when a propane tanker truck's trailer toppled over and landed on his car.
Sept. 15, 2002 - Richmond, B.C., RCMP Const. Jimmy Ng died when his police cruiser was broadsided, sending him flying through the rear window.
March 12, 2002 - Banff RCMP Const. Christine
Diotte, 35, killed when a sport utility vehicle slid on an icy patch of road and crashed into her while investigating another accident.
Feb. 28, 2002 - Montreal Const. Benoit L'Ecuyer, 29, shot and killed during a chase with a speeding car.
Feb. 18, 2002 -Toronto Const. Laura Ellis, 31, killed when the police cruiser she was a passenger in collided with another car and then struck a utility pole while responding to an emergency call.
Dec. 23, 2001 - Const. Martin Lefebvre, 22, of
Shawinigan, Que., died after losing control of his patrol vehicle while answering an emergency call.
Dec. 20, 2001 - RCMP Const. Dennis Strongquill, 52, shot after pursuing a stolen car in Russell, Man.
Oct. 17, 2001 - Calgary Const. Darren Beatty, 29, a member of the department's elite tactical unit, died after he was shot by a colleague in a hostage-taking simulation during a training exercise.
March 5, 2001 - RCMP Const. Jurgen Seewald, shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute in Cape Dorset, Nunavut.
Aug. 28, 2000 - Const. Alain Forget, killed when thieves rammed a police car at a roadblock in St-Hubert, Que.
Aug. 16, 2000 - RCMP Sgt. Ed Mobley and pilot Tim Nicholson died when their plane crashed in northern British Columbia during a training exercise.
June 9, 2000 - Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Marg Eve, died two days after a truck hit three police cars and another vehicle stopped on the side of Highway 401 near London, Ont.
Source: Yahoo! News Canada
Copyright: 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Contact: mailto:ca-full-coverage@yahoo-inc.com?subject=Comment
Website: Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines
