Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: vorticon on March 03, 2005, 08:32:30 PM
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4 Mounties killed at Alberta drug site
Last Updated Thu, 03 Mar 2005 21:24:07 EST
CBC News
MAYERTHORPE, ALTA. - Four RCMP officers died Thursday when a man with a high-powered rifle began shooting during an investigation into a marijuana grow operation in northwestern Alberta.
"It's my sad duty to inform you that four RCMP officers, four brave young members have been killed in the line of duty," RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bill Sweeney told reporters at a late-afternoon news briefing.
The Quonset hut that police suspect held the marijuana growing operation in Rochfort Bridge, Alta.
In Canadian police terms, said Sweeney, "You'd have to go back to 1885, to the Northwest Rebellion, to have a loss of this magnitude. It's devastating."
Police said a fifth person described as "a male suspect" had been found dead at the scene of the crime, a farm near the hamlet of Rochfort Bridge.
The suspect was known to police, said Cpl. Wayne Oakes.
He added that a number of police officers had been guarding the scene since the night before as part of an investigation into illegal marijuana growing and stolen property.
Two of the dead officers had been among the team who were at the Quonset hut overnight, Oakes said.
Rochfort Bridge is located near Mayerthorpe, a town of 1,700 where the RCMP detachment is based, about 130 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Three of the dead officers were members of the Mayerthorpe detachment and the fourth was from the RCMP's Whitecourt detachment.
News vehicles were kept away from the scene through the day while police investigated.
Family members of the slain officers began arriving at the Mayerthorpe detachment Thursday afternoon, some of them weeping as they were escorted into the building by uniformed Mounties.
Officers stopped responding to radio calls
Earlier in the day, Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko told CBC News that details of the trouble that broke out at about 10 a.m. Thursday morning were sketchy.
"As far as we know, there's four officers not responding to their radios, so there is an indication that something is serious here," Cenaiko said.
"[The situation] is still active and they have a number of resources that are on scene or going to the scene."
Sgt. Rick Oncescu, who is with the RCMP in Calgary, said two SWAT teams were called to the area Thursday morning.
A military spokesman said about 20 soldiers and two armoured vehicles were sent to the area after police called for military assistance at about midday.
George Vanderburg, the provincial politician who represents the area, says he and Cenaiko were briefed on the situation around midday Thursday.
He could not provide further details except to say it was a "very serious and very tragic" situation. "
i live something like 35km from where this happened...
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This is close to me also ... I went to school with a guy who is an RCMP member based out of Whitecourt.
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Sad news. Having been in law enforcement myself, it hits a little close to home.
<> to the fallen. May they be remembered and revered.
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Too bad they had to die for a grow operation. A lot of people die over pointless arguments and this is one of them. RIP
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Sad day. If the what we hear in the states is true the RCMP are some of the best in the biz.
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Its a really sad day when men dedicated to a greater good lose their lives in the pursuit of law and order.
May all you pot heads really get a good buzz with your next toke, four mounted police paid for your privilege with their lives today.
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Time to start going in shooting on these grow opps.
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to the fallen members. I hope this leads to us using more forcefull tactics when taking down grow ops. There's gotta be something we can take out of this.
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Man that is terrible. I thought growing was legal in canada?
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Originally posted by Raider179 Man that is terrible. I thought growing was legal in canada?
No it's not, but you can own small quantity without risking prison. You just get a fine. That's pretty dumb if you ask me, either make it legal or don't. Don't stand on the damn fence.
That's my understanding of the thing, I may be wrong.
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There is a 'for medicinal puposes' pot smoking allowed. Basically, people with MS and other such problems can get a doctors note and can smoke it.
I saw a story last night that the Liberal Government is discussing the legalization of pot. I think instead they should make tougher laws and give stiffer sentences. It might just make a person think twice if a long jail sentence awaits if caught.
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Originally posted by skernsk
It might just make a person think twice if a long jail sentence awaits if caught.
You're a whoopee commie if you think it should be goverments business!:D
I say legalize all drugs. If someone wants to smoke pot then what's the problem? With the nastier stuff like heroin the addicts should be provided with cleanest and most powerful dope and let them OD. Same goes for booze.
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Seriously, as a Canadian you just need to look south to see how well your proposal has worked.
As to the topic:
I hope you at least catch the bastard(s) who did this. If the murderer was shot and killed his end was too quick and painless.
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A little info on two of the mounties:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050304.wxyoungoff0304/BNStory/Front
By PETTI FONG and JILL MAHONEY AND COLIN FREEZE
Friday, March 4, 2005 Updated at 2:00 AM EST
From Friday's Globe and Mail
They were young cops with long careers ahead of them.
One had been in the small Alberta RCMP detachment for four years, the other started just three weeks ago.
Constables Leo Johnston, 33, and Brock Myrol, 27, were considered junior officers when they entered a building just outside Rochfort Bridge to investigate a marijuana grow operation.
In a burst of violence, the two young men and two of their colleagues were shot dead yesterday in the worst RCMP killings in a century.
Both constables, along with a third officer, were part of the 11-member Mayerthorpe detachment in central Alberta. The fourth slain Mountie was with the nearby Whitecourt detachment.
Police did not release the names of the officers pending notification of next of kin, but direct family members confirmed that Constable Johnston and Constable Myrol were among those killed.
"What do you say when your son has been ambushed?" Constable Johnston's mother, Grace Johnston, asked in an interview.
Constable Johnston was an ace marksman from Owl River, Alta., who joined the RCMP with his twin brother, Lee.
Last night, his mother simply said word of her son's death came from police, who came to her house in her tiny community.
In another small community in the neighbouring province, Constable Myrol's grandmother, Frances Myrol, learned of the shootings through a phone call from one of her sons, the young officer's uncle.
Constable Myrol began work in Mayerthorpe on Feb. 14, just days after graduating from the RCMP training academy in Regina.
"That was something he wanted right from when he was a little kid," she said last night in an interview from her home in Outlook, Sask. "He certainly was a wonderful young man and so happy and he worked so hard to get into the RCMP."
Last night, the Myrol family was assembling in Alberta and Saskatchewan to mourn.
"He was absolutely the most wonderful person in the world; they don't get better than that," said one grieving relative from Calgary. "It's wrong when this happens."
Constable Myrol had reason to celebrate both his new career and a new stage in his life. At Christmas, he became engaged to his girlfriend, Anjila, who joined him in the community of 1,600.
Born in Outlook and raised in Red Deer, Alta., Constable Myrol told the Mayerthorpe Freelancer newspaper he decided to become an RCMP officer three years ago after working as a security guard and receiving an undergraduate arts degree from Red Deer College.
"I wanted the opportunity to work with people and be able to make a difference," he said in a piece published Feb. 23. "Over time, I saw all the good things you could do for people, and I enjoyed that."
Constable Myrol, who had a black belt in karate and enjoyed music, told the paper he was excited about joining the RCMP and was hopeful about what he could accomplish.
"Make a positive change in people's lives and serve the community," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Constable Myrol expected to spend five years in the Mayerthorpe detachment. He said he and his fiancée were enjoying the community. "It's a change, but a welcome one," he said in the article.
Constable Myrol joined a detachment where police officers play a big role in the community. Just two weeks ago, three of the local Mounties were given awards for their work on behalf of a nine-year-old local boy with cancer.
One of those officers was Constable Johnston, who had his head shaved to help raise funds.
"We are a close community. These are not just police officers, they're coaches for our kids, hockey teammates," said Pastor Arnold Lotholz of the Pentecostal Church in the community and a volunteer with the disaster services team for the RCMP.
Constable Johnston was a cop who could lay claim to an achievement that few others could. Last year, he and his brother, who is stationed in B.C., received their Crown Pistols and Crown Rifles badges, signifying that they were ace marksmen.
Constable Johnston almost didn't become a police officer. Back in 1997, he cheated death in a motorcycle accident. According to reports, the then 25-year-old was involved in a "horrifying" crash at Calgary's Race City Motorsport Park as he was speeding along at 130 kilometres an hour on the last lap of a national qualifying race. He spent a week in a coma, with several serious injuries.
But he recovered and went on to join the Mounties and was posted to Mayerthorpe in the spring of 2001.
A few years ago, Grace Johnston told a newspaper that she hoped people would take inspiration from her son's journey from accident victim to police officer.
"I want people to know that anything is possible. I want the kids, especially the ones from around here, to know that they can do it if they really want it," she said.
"This shows that it doesn't matter who you are or where you are from, anything is possible if you go for it.''
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Sad news.
Is there a prayer thread to go with this?
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Very sad......:( May they RIP.
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A friend of mine was hunting,and stepped out of the woods right into the middle of an mj field.He told me it scared the crap out of him.He backed into the woods and quickly left.
GB and RIP to those four men.
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the "harmless" drug
drugs r good, drugs r good,...
like Yeager said - enjoy dopers
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Originally posted by Eagler
the "harmless" drug
This isn't about if the drug in question is "harmless" or "non harmless".
If you want to get into that, then the only logical conclusion we can do here is that the prohibition of pot has led to the situation where the markets are controlled by criminals. This has nothing to do with the qualities of the drug, but it's legal status.
How many people were shot and killed in raids during the alcohol prohibition? This is same kind of waste of human life.
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People, Four men died in the performance of their duty. Have some respect for their memory and the loss to their families.
Take the drug arguement to it's own thread please.
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Originally posted by Maverick
People, Four men died in the performance of their duty. Have some respect for their memory and the loss to their families.
Take the drug arguement to it's own thread please.
Well said.
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"Take the drug arguement to it's own thread please."
bit ahead of you...
http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=144764
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Originally posted by Yeager
Its a really sad day when men dedicated to a greater good lose their lives in the pursuit of law and order.
May all you pot heads really get a good buzz with your next toke, four mounted police paid for your privilege with their lives today.
Agreed its a sad day about these guys.
But your following statement is silly.
A very large percentage of the Pot sold and smoked in your everyday neiighborhood wasnt imported from Canada, or Mexico, Or columbia.
Thats not where the higher quality stuff comes from anymore But rather Grown right IN that neigborhood.
I'd be willing to bet that that in most urban and suburban neighborhoods there are at least 3 people within a 10 block radius growing high quality stuff.
The fact that sadly these guys were killed int he line of duty has more to do with the shooter being a criminal then it does the pot itself.
Dont blame the pot. blame the shooter.
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Originally posted by skernsk
This is close to me also ... I went to school with a guy who is an RCMP member based out of Whitecourt.
Bad news .. Leo Johnston, 33 was the guy I graduated with. Kind of in shock ..... he has an identical twin brother. My thoughts are with his family.
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Hey Canadians,
I'm admitting I am ignorant in the ways of Canadia So I have a question pertaining to the subject.
Is it true about the Mounties, that they are great at what they do? And are well respected/not to be crossed kind of thing?
All I have is American TV to guide me so I wanted to hear it from the source.
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Appearently you don't want to mess with them. That's the word on the street anyways.
As far as cops go... I have been to almost every province and every state in this here North America and I have never seen anything like Alberta cops. butterin' storm troopers.
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Originally posted by Nash
Alberta cops. butterin' storm troopers.
WOW that's a shocker to me. I'm not being sarcastic here at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But I get the impression that Canada is generally a peacfull place to live were the police are fair.
AGAIN NO SARCASM HERE
this is partially based on the impression that M. Moore gives in his ::CAUGH propaganda films CAUGH:: movies.
but thanks for the info.
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Heh .. lived in Alberta my whole life and have yet to find a 'storm trooper'. I'm sure there are a few in every police force who think their **** don't stink, but overall they are not overly zealous.
The worst offense I have had though is a speeding ticket. I'm sure if you were a **** disturber like Nash you'd see them in a different light:D
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Well.... I don't mean to imply that they just go around beating on people or anything like that. Not always.
But there's a certain tradition involved...
Calgary the city was like the wild west of Canada... it evolved from a single Mounted Police fort, built and staffed solely to stave off the bootleggers that used to come up through Montana, and it was lawless here for many years. Until that fort.... which became a city.
One of my favorite places to fish is called Policeman's Flats. It's an area outside of town, by a river that they used to bring bad folks to in order to beat the living daylights out of them.
These days, they just drive folks outside the city limits in the dead of winter and kick them out of the car. We're talking -30 degrees.
The penal system.... What I did in other places would mean one of two things: a blind eye or merely dumping the stuff down the gutter. Here it nets you an automatic 1-2 years.
Inmates shank people for no other reason than just to get transfered out of the province.
So....
I don't mean to imply that they go berzerk or anything... but it's just generally a bad place to commit crime. And well... it is quite peaceful here.
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AGAIN I was serious in my question. I just wanted to know if the Mounties were as respected as I've heard and if Canadia police were the same as the impression I get from the media.
I'm at least honest in my ignorance here. :)
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I can only speak for myself. I think that the RCMP is a source of pride for Canadians. It is a force that spans all of Canada with a rich history dating back to 1873 when the 'Northwest Mounted Police' was formed.
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Absolutely.
It's a pretty sad day around here.
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KEWL,
Thanks for the info eh.
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Our Mounted Police are regarded as one of the best police units in the world. Granted I may be a bit biased as I am finishing up my Auxiliary Constable training, but that is their reputation.
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Originally posted by Gunslinger
AGAIN I was serious in my question. I just wanted to know if the Mounties were as respected as I've heard and if Canadia police were the same as the impression I get from the media.
I have two uncles that are in the RCMP. The RCMP is constantly asked to send advisors to train police forces all around the world.
"Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)—$10 million
The RCMP sent 20 Canadian police trainers to Jordan to help train Iraqi police officers. Also, a senior Canadian RCMP officer was sent to Baghdad to help develop strategies to strengthen the police sector. This is part of a broader Coalition Provisional Authority effort. Democratic principles, human rights, prohibition against torture, domestic violence, gender issues, rights of children and juveniles are some of the components of the training offered by the Canadian officers."
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/CIDAWEB/webcountry.nsf/VLUDocEn/Iraq-Projects
So apparently someone thinks they're good. I personally believe they have to much power and not enough oversight.