4 Mounties killed in raid

2005-03-04 19:04

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.

- AP