Pubdate: Fri, 04 Mar 2005 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.canada.com/victoria/timescolonist/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Florence Loyie and Mike Sadava, CanWest News Service Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) FOUR OFFICERS KILLED Police Slain At Alberta Grow-Op In One Of RCMP's Darkest Days MAYERTHORPE, Alta. -- Four RCMP officers -- almost the entire membership of a rural detachment -- were shot and killed Thursday in one of the darkest days in RCMP history. The officers -- one of whom was identified by his family as Const. Brock Myrol, 29 -- were investigating a suspected marijuana growing operation at a farm near Mayerthorpe, a community about 130 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, in an emotional news conference in Ottawa Thursday evening, confirmed the deaths. "It is with profound sadness that I confirm that four members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were killed today in service to our country," said Zaccardelli. "It is an unprecedented and unspeakable loss." It was the first time in decades that multiple Canadian police officers have been killed while in action and it prompted a statement from Prime Minister Paul Martin. "Canadians are shocked by this brutality, and join me in condemning the violent acts that brought about these deaths," Martin said in a statement. "This terrible event is a reminder of the sacrifice and bravery of the men and women who serve in our national police force, and of the dangerous circumstances which they often confront, in order to make Canada a safer place." The prime minister also expressed his condolences to the families of the four officers, who were all male junior members. RCMP say three officers who died were from the Mayerthorpe detachment and one from a detachment in nearby Whitecourt. A family friend said Myrol had started with the Mayerthorpe detachment on Feb. 14. He was originally from Red Deer, Alta. Myrol's cousin, David Myrol, a prominent Edmonton lawyer, said the family is very close, with the slain officer at its very nucleus. "We were all very proud of Brock," he said Thursday. "He was such an important part of the family." The young man's family is anxious to know all the circumstances surrounding Thursday's shootings, he said. "We'll be asking questions about what happened," said Myrol, a partner with Mclennon Ross. "There's no doubt." The other officers were not immediately identified, pending notification of family members. They were guarding the scene of an investigation at a large quonset hut at a farm in Rochfort Bridge near the community of Mayerthorpe Thursday morning when shots were fired by a lone gunman who apparently caught the officers by surprise. The gunman died at the scene. "We're all in terrible shock and mourning as you can imagine," said assistant RCMP Commissioner Bill Sweeney of K Division in Alberta. "This is a tremendous loss," added Alberta Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko, who was visibly shaken. "It was a senseless act." Two of the officers were at the farmhouse overnight, guarding the scene in an investigation that also involved stolen property, said RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes. The other two officers joined them in the morning. Other Mounties who were on the scene heard shots at 10 a.m., and the decision was made to call in help, said Oakes. Just after 2 p.m., officers stormed the building and found the bodies of the four officers and the man who is suspected of killing them, James Roszko. Officers and soldiers dressed in bullet-proof vests and carrying high-powered rifles came and went from the operations base, many with tears in their eyes. More than 100 officers were on the scene, along with soldiers from the Canadian military, who provided three Bison armoured vehicles. RCMP set up roadblocks around the farm and air space over the area was closed throughout the day. Maj. Scott Lundy, a spokesman for Edmonton Garrison, said two armoured personnel carriers, an ambulance and about 20 military personnel were dispatched from the military base, but about two hours later, police told the military their help was no longer needed. People in the town of 1,570 huddled around radios in the hardware store and by their pickup trucks as the tragedy unfolded. At the end of the day the flag in front of the local Legion was lowered to half mast. Emotions ran high, with local residents striking out at reporters and photographers who had descended on the town. One CBC cameraman was reportedly punched in the eye by a relative of one of the deceased officers. Mayerthorpe Mayor Albert Schalm said: "I'm sick. I don't know what to tell you. It shocks me that this could even happen." James Roszko, the suspect in the shooting, was well known around town as being violent and mentally unstable. "Cops have known about him for a long time," said Pat Burns, a local carpenter. "The justice system doesn't have the balls to do what needs to be done." Several people in town said there were rumours of Roszko hiding weapons on his property. The suspect is also reputed to have put planks with spikes in his driveway. When scrutineers came in before the last provincial election, the spikes blew out their tires. He was described as a loner who lived in a trailer on the west side of the farm, and his mother lived in a home on the other side of the large farm. In Whitecourt, Mayor Trevor Thain said, "The detachment is a great bunch of people and I'm sure I can't even begin to imagine how they feel right now." Thain said the Whitecourt detachment has about 15 officers while the Mayerthorpe detachment only has about three or four members. Those numbers don't include a highway patrol unit which is administered through the Whitecourt detachment. Thursday's shooting was the first time in nearly 20 years since multiple Canadian police officers were slain in action. On July 4, 1985, Const. Jacques Giguere and his partner Const. Yves Tetu of the Quebec Police Service were gunned down as they investigated the tripping of a burglar alarm at a medical equipment warehouse. Forty officers in Canada have died in the line of duty since 2000, including seven in 2004. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth