From [a href=\'http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/03/03/alberta-shooting050303.html\' target=\'_blank\']CBC News[/a]
4 Mounties, gunman die at Alberta drug site
Last Updated Fri, 04 Mar 2005 12:44:40 EST
CBC News
MAYERTHORPE, ALTA. - Four RCMP officers died Thursday when a man with a high-powered rifle began shooting during an investigation into a marijuana grow operation in northwestern Alberta.
"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," RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bill Sweeney told reporters at a late-afternoon news briefing.
The Quonset hut that police suspect held the marijuana growing operation in Rochfort Bridge, Alta.
In Canadian police terms, said Sweeney, "You'd have to go back to about 1885 in RCMP history and the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude. It's devastating."
Police said a fifth person described as "a male suspect" had been found dead at the scene of the crime, a farm near the hamlet of Rochfort Bridge.
He added that a number of police officers had been guarding the scene since the night before as part of an investigation into illegal marijuana growing and stolen property.
Two of the dead officers had been among the team who were at the Quonset hut overnight, Oakes said.
Rochfort Bridge is located near Mayerthorpe, a town of 1,700 where the RCMP detachment is based, about 130 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Three of the dead officers were members of the Mayerthorpe detachment and the fourth was from the RCMP's Whitecourt detachment.
News vehicles were kept away from the scene through the day while police investigated.
Family members of the slain officers began arriving at the Mayerthorpe detachment Thursday afternoon, some of them weeping as they were escorted into the building by uniformed Mounties.
Officers stopped responding to radio calls
Earlier in the day, Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko told CBC News that details of the trouble that broke out at about 10 a.m. Thursday morning were sketchy.
"As far as we know, there's four officers not responding to their radios, so there is an indication that something is serious here," Cenaiko said.
"[The situation] is still active and they have a number of resources that are on scene or going to the scene."
Sgt. Rick Oncescu, who is with the RCMP in Calgary, said two SWAT teams were called to the area Thursday morning.
A military spokesman said about 20 soldiers and two armoured vehicles were sent to the area after police called for military assistance at about midday.
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The entire country is disgusted by this. I feel like the country has lost a bit of its innocence this week. This kind of stuff doesn't happen in small-town Canada. It ay seem odd that one of the most liberal countries in the world has as a national symbol a police officer, but the Mounties are pillars of the communities they serve. I don't know how it is in other countries, but we generally have no ill-will toward the police here, and respect and admire the job they do.
My former room-mate is currently in Regina, SK training to become a Mountie. I feel like I should call him or something.
Has this made the news elsewhere in the world? What do you think of the entire thing?
Maintiens le droit
4 Mounties, gunman die at Alberta drug site
Last Updated Fri, 04 Mar 2005 12:44:40 EST
CBC News
MAYERTHORPE, ALTA. - Four RCMP officers died Thursday when a man with a high-powered rifle began shooting during an investigation into a marijuana grow operation in northwestern Alberta.
"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," RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bill Sweeney told reporters at a late-afternoon news briefing.
The Quonset hut that police suspect held the marijuana growing operation in Rochfort Bridge, Alta.
In Canadian police terms, said Sweeney, "You'd have to go back to about 1885 in RCMP history and the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude. It's devastating."
Police said a fifth person described as "a male suspect" had been found dead at the scene of the crime, a farm near the hamlet of Rochfort Bridge.
He added that a number of police officers had been guarding the scene since the night before as part of an investigation into illegal marijuana growing and stolen property.
Two of the dead officers had been among the team who were at the Quonset hut overnight, Oakes said.
Rochfort Bridge is located near Mayerthorpe, a town of 1,700 where the RCMP detachment is based, about 130 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Three of the dead officers were members of the Mayerthorpe detachment and the fourth was from the RCMP's Whitecourt detachment.
News vehicles were kept away from the scene through the day while police investigated.
Family members of the slain officers began arriving at the Mayerthorpe detachment Thursday afternoon, some of them weeping as they were escorted into the building by uniformed Mounties.
Officers stopped responding to radio calls
Earlier in the day, Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko told CBC News that details of the trouble that broke out at about 10 a.m. Thursday morning were sketchy.
"As far as we know, there's four officers not responding to their radios, so there is an indication that something is serious here," Cenaiko said.
"[The situation] is still active and they have a number of resources that are on scene or going to the scene."
Sgt. Rick Oncescu, who is with the RCMP in Calgary, said two SWAT teams were called to the area Thursday morning.
A military spokesman said about 20 soldiers and two armoured vehicles were sent to the area after police called for military assistance at about midday.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The entire country is disgusted by this. I feel like the country has lost a bit of its innocence this week. This kind of stuff doesn't happen in small-town Canada. It ay seem odd that one of the most liberal countries in the world has as a national symbol a police officer, but the Mounties are pillars of the communities they serve. I don't know how it is in other countries, but we generally have no ill-will toward the police here, and respect and admire the job they do.
My former room-mate is currently in Regina, SK training to become a Mountie. I feel like I should call him or something.
Has this made the news elsewhere in the world? What do you think of the entire thing?
Maintiens le droit
--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/biggrin.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'biggrin.gif\' /][!--endemo--]