Pubdate: Sat, 03 Mar 2007
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2007, The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.globeandmail.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Tu Thanh Ha
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)

LAVAL OFFICER KILLED IN DRUG RAID

Early-Morning Shootout Ends In Tragedy After Police Storm Montreal-Area Home

MONTREAL -- A major investigation into a suspected 
cocaine-trafficking ring in the Montreal area ended in tragedy 
yesterday when a newly promoted detective was shot dead as he and 
other officers stormed into the home of a bar owner to execute a 
search warrant.

Neighbours described a gunfight before sunrise, with the house alarm 
ringing, people screaming and at least 10 shots being fired inside a 
two-storey home in an upscale residential suburb.

Inside the house were an adult couple, a six-year-old girl and her 
15-year-old brother. The children were not hurt but their mother was 
wounded. She is not expected to die of the injuries.

Laval Police Detective-Sergeant Daniel Tessier, 42, who had been in 
the drug squad for only a week, died after being shot in the head.

He was married to another police officer, Dominique Lapointe, who 
works for the neighbouring Repentigny Police. They have two 
daughters, ages 10 and 12.

Ms. Lapointe's sister, Diane, said the couple had met while both 
attended the Quebec National Police School in Nicolet, near Sherbrooke.

"My God. We're trying to close ranks and support each other. The pain 
is very deep."

It was the second time in 15 months that a Laval police officer has 
been shot dead on duty. "That wound hadn't healed at all and here we 
are again in this painful situation," Laval Police Chief Jean-Pierre 
Gariepy told reporters.

The death came in the wake of the December, 2005, slaying of 
Constable Valerie Gignac, the first Laval officer to die in the line of duty.

Death is an inherent risk in an officer's life, the chief said. "It's 
like flipping a coin. God willing, most of the time it falls on the 
right side. This morning it fell on the wrong side."

The shootout took place at a home in Brossard, a bedroom community 
south of Montreal, part of eight search warrants executed yesterday.

The house is owned by a 41-year-old man and his wife. Neither has a 
criminal record.

Reached by phone, the man's father said his son had two young 
children, a description matching the police's account. The suspect's 
father said his son owns a bar in Montreal's West Island. He would 
not comment further.

A neighbour said the shooting began shortly after 5 a.m. during a 
snowstorm. There were shouts as the police officers entered after 
ramming the door open, he said.

Another neighbour said he heard an alarm go off. At least 10 gunshots rang out.

Then other officers appeared, some with dogs.

Then, witnesses said, one officer, Constable Stephane Forbes, stepped 
out and sat on a recycling bin on the curb to be treated for a wound 
on his upper arm.

Later, Det. Sgt. Tessier was wheeled out on a gurney. Ambulance 
technicians performed CPR on him as they took him to their vehicle. 
He was declared dead on arrival at hospital.

The two children inside the house have been put into the care of 
relatives, police said.

The investigation into the death of Det. Sgt. Tessier has been taken 
over by the Surete du Quebec, the provincial police. SQ officers were 
questioning the house residents yesterday.

The drug probe began last June and focused on a suspected ring of 
cocaine and crack-cocaine dealers, Chief Gariepy said. "It's an 
organization we've been watching since last summer."

This week's drug probe began in Laval, north of Montreal, in the 
Chomedey South sector, he said.

A 17-year veteran, Det. Sgt. Tessier had been working undercover 
before his transfer a week ago to the drug and vice squad.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman