ROCHFORT BRIDGE, Alta. (CP) - His voice tight with grim self-control, Alberta's commanding RCMP officer groped for a way Thursday to describe a catastrophic drug raid that left four young officers lying dead in a quonset hut.
"I'm told you have to go back to about 1885 in RCMP history and the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude," said assistant commissioner Bill Sweeney. "It's devastating. We're all in terrible shock and mourning."
The peace of this gently rolling farm country near the hamlet of Rochfort Bridge in northwestern Alberta was shattered Thursday morning in the tragic culmination of an investigation into stolen property and a marijuana grow-op.
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the operation began Wednesday afternoon, when officers from the local Mayerthorpe detachment placed the farmyard just north of the community under surveillance.
Two officers remained at the farm overnight. Thursday morning they were joined by backup.
Although the occupant of the farm had not been there overnight, at some point he had returned.
At about 10 a.m., four officers walked on to the property and entered a large metal quonset hut. They were wearing soft body armour and carrying handguns.
"They were not going into a potential armed conflict," said Oakes. "They were guarding a scene."
Suddenly, officers remaining on the road heard gunshots and took cover, at least one of them returning fire. After the shots died down, none of the police on the property responded to their radios.
Emergency response teams from Calgary and Edmonton were called to the scene. The Edmonton Police Service's helicopter was called, as were three armoured vehicles from the Canadian Forces' Edmonton Garrison.
Finally, at about 2:20 p.m., an RCMP team burst into the quonset to confirm their worst fears: four dead officers - "brave, young officers," said Sweeney - and a fifth dead man.
A government source told The Canadian Press the suspect, who was armed with a high-powered rifle, 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 the lone occupant of the farm was known to police, although he wouldn't confirm if he had a criminal record.
The occupant was certainly known to people in Rochfort Bridge.
"He's dangerous," said one woman, who didn't want to give her name. "You don't want to go on his land. He'll shoot you."
"He does what he wants, when he wants, and doesn't care about anybody else," said another. "I was told to stay away from him."
The deaths of the four officers - three from Mayerthorpe, one from nearby Whitecourt, Alta. - rocked law enforcement officials and politicians across the country.
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan quickly held a news conference to say she will consider tougher penalties for grow operations in the proposed marijuana decriminalization 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."
None of the officer's names have been released until family members were notified. Family members are being afforded whatever support the RCMP can provide, said Oakes.
The deaths may be what it finally takes to get the Canadian public to take the dangers of marijuana grow operations seriously, said a Calgary police officer.
"There is some apathy out there, and unfortunately maybe it takes incidents like this to wake people up," said Staff Sgt. Birnie Smith of the Southern Alberta Marijuana Investigative Team.
"It's a danger to everyone."
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."
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"
What people are saying about the fatal shooting of four RCMP officers in northern Alberta on Thursday:
"This event shocks and horrifies all Canadians. Our sympathies are with the families of those who have lost their lives." - statement from Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson and her husband, John Ralston Saul.
"This terrible event is a reminder of the sacrifice and bravery of the men and women who serve in our national police force." - Prime Minister Paul Martin.
"This incident serves as a poignant reminder of the men and women in law enforcement across our country who risk their lives daily." - federal Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.
"This is obviously a tragedy of enormous proportions, but it's probably better described as a new chapter in a book that we already knew about as opposed to a whole new book." - B.C. Attorney General Geoff Plant, saying the danger posed by marijuana grow-ops is serious across the country.
"Too often, police officers lay down their lives in the line of duty . . . I am devastated." - interim Toronto police Chief Michael Boyd.
"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." - assistant commissioner Bill Sweeney, commanding officer of the RCMP in Alberta.
"It shocks us that bravery is felled by violence. It disturbs us that courage is silenced by anger." - Alberta Premier Ralph Klein.
"We don't solve anything in society by legalizing things or by pretending they're not harmful to society." - RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, on the issue of decriminalizing marijuana.
"The way we've done it now is marijuana has become the exclusive prerogative of the criminal element because there's such fantastic profit in it. I'm not saying that the four men would be alive if we had legalized marijuana, but I suspect they might be." - Nick Taylor, former senator and one-time leader of the Alberta Liberals.
very sad indeed.
the 4 men were aged 25, 28, 29 and 32.
my thoughts and prayers are with their families...
"I'm told you have to go back to about 1885 in RCMP history and the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude," said assistant commissioner Bill Sweeney. "It's devastating. We're all in terrible shock and mourning."
The peace of this gently rolling farm country near the hamlet of Rochfort Bridge in northwestern Alberta was shattered Thursday morning in the tragic culmination of an investigation into stolen property and a marijuana grow-op.
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the operation began Wednesday afternoon, when officers from the local Mayerthorpe detachment placed the farmyard just north of the community under surveillance.
Two officers remained at the farm overnight. Thursday morning they were joined by backup.
Although the occupant of the farm had not been there overnight, at some point he had returned.
At about 10 a.m., four officers walked on to the property and entered a large metal quonset hut. They were wearing soft body armour and carrying handguns.
"They were not going into a potential armed conflict," said Oakes. "They were guarding a scene."
Suddenly, officers remaining on the road heard gunshots and took cover, at least one of them returning fire. After the shots died down, none of the police on the property responded to their radios.
Emergency response teams from Calgary and Edmonton were called to the scene. The Edmonton Police Service's helicopter was called, as were three armoured vehicles from the Canadian Forces' Edmonton Garrison.
Finally, at about 2:20 p.m., an RCMP team burst into the quonset to confirm their worst fears: four dead officers - "brave, young officers," said Sweeney - and a fifth dead man.
A government source told The Canadian Press the suspect, who was armed with a high-powered rifle, 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 the lone occupant of the farm was known to police, although he wouldn't confirm if he had a criminal record.
The occupant was certainly known to people in Rochfort Bridge.
"He's dangerous," said one woman, who didn't want to give her name. "You don't want to go on his land. He'll shoot you."
"He does what he wants, when he wants, and doesn't care about anybody else," said another. "I was told to stay away from him."
The deaths of the four officers - three from Mayerthorpe, one from nearby Whitecourt, Alta. - rocked law enforcement officials and politicians across the country.
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan quickly held a news conference to say she will consider tougher penalties for grow operations in the proposed marijuana decriminalization 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."
None of the officer's names have been released until family members were notified. Family members are being afforded whatever support the RCMP can provide, said Oakes.
The deaths may be what it finally takes to get the Canadian public to take the dangers of marijuana grow operations seriously, said a Calgary police officer.
"There is some apathy out there, and unfortunately maybe it takes incidents like this to wake people up," said Staff Sgt. Birnie Smith of the Southern Alberta Marijuana Investigative Team.
"It's a danger to everyone."
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."
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"
What people are saying about the fatal shooting of four RCMP officers in northern Alberta on Thursday:
"This event shocks and horrifies all Canadians. Our sympathies are with the families of those who have lost their lives." - statement from Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson and her husband, John Ralston Saul.
"This terrible event is a reminder of the sacrifice and bravery of the men and women who serve in our national police force." - Prime Minister Paul Martin.
"This incident serves as a poignant reminder of the men and women in law enforcement across our country who risk their lives daily." - federal Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.
"This is obviously a tragedy of enormous proportions, but it's probably better described as a new chapter in a book that we already knew about as opposed to a whole new book." - B.C. Attorney General Geoff Plant, saying the danger posed by marijuana grow-ops is serious across the country.
"Too often, police officers lay down their lives in the line of duty . . . I am devastated." - interim Toronto police Chief Michael Boyd.
"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." - assistant commissioner Bill Sweeney, commanding officer of the RCMP in Alberta.
"It shocks us that bravery is felled by violence. It disturbs us that courage is silenced by anger." - Alberta Premier Ralph Klein.
"We don't solve anything in society by legalizing things or by pretending they're not harmful to society." - RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, on the issue of decriminalizing marijuana.
"The way we've done it now is marijuana has become the exclusive prerogative of the criminal element because there's such fantastic profit in it. I'm not saying that the four men would be alive if we had legalized marijuana, but I suspect they might be." - Nick Taylor, former senator and one-time leader of the Alberta Liberals.
very sad indeed.
the 4 men were aged 25, 28, 29 and 32.
my thoughts and prayers are with their families...
