4 RCMP killed in raid

[Said1]

4 Mounties killed in raid


Toronto - Canadians were stunned on Friday by the deadliest single attack on police officers in 120 years, after a gunman killed four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers while they were investigating an illegal dagga farm.

"Canadians are shocked by this brutality and join me in condemning the violent acts that brought about these deaths," Prime Minister Paul Martin said. He has called for a moment of silence before opening his Liberal party's annual conference later on Friday.

RCMP spokesperson corporal Wayne Oakes said the four officers were found in a Quonset hut late on Thursday. They had been investigating 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.

A government source told The Canadian Press that the suspect later killed himself after shooting the officers. State-run CBC TV identified the gunman as 46-year-old James Roszko and said he had a long rap sheet, including the use of illegal firearms and sexual assault.

"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 Bill Sweeney, commanding officer of the RCMP in the western province of Alberta.

"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."

The Northwest Rebellion was an unsuccessful attempt by indigenous First Nation rebels to establish an independent nation in the northwestern frontier.

Devastated

One of the four RCMP officers killed was a young constable who had been on the job for only two weeks, Canadian Press reported. Another was a 33-year-old ace marksman who entered the service with his twin brother.

Police have not officially released the names of the officers but family members confirmed that 29-year-old rookie constable Brock Myrol and constable Leo Johnston were among the dead.

David Myrol, a prominent Edmonton lawyer, said his cousin Brock was part of a very close-knit family, which is devastated by his death.

"We'll be asking questions about what happened," he told the National Post. "There's no doubt."

The officers were only wearing handguns and some have asked why the officers did not have better backup.

Sgt Rick Oncescu of the Calgary RCMP said two Swat teams were called into the area and Mounties from surrounding jurisdictions also responded when the four officers did not respond to radio calls Thursday afternoon.

Major Scott Lundy, a spokesperson for Edmonton Garrison, said the military received a request just after 12:30 from the RCMP for assistance. He said two armoured personnel carriers, an ambulance and about 20 military personnel were dispatched from the military base.

Link

Commissioner’s Statement

 

[Zhukov]

What is "dagga"?

 

[Said1]

What is "dagga"?

Weed.l

 

[sagegirl]

It is very interesting how Canadians are dealing with this. For them it is a national tragedy and the nation is mourning the loss. Unlike here in the US where we tend to hear a story on the news and say "so sad" and move on to the next story.....Canadians have such great pride in their country, I am often moved by the support and pride they have in there fellow countrymen in sporting events for example. During the Olympics, just about any event that a canadian participated in was closely watched and their effort recognised whether they were a winner of a medal or not. Here we tend to recognise the medal winners (make them media stars) and almost dismiss someone who has not won the gold.
As to the recent brutal murder of the RCMP's, the canadian news reports also claimed it was a car chop shop that was going on at the farm. The guy they were after also was involved with pot but he was a known discontent and had previously displayed anger with the authorities. The four young and inexperienced mounties were left at the farm waiting for tow trucks to haul away vehicles when the guy snuck back to the farm and slaughtered them.
What a scumbag coward.