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04 June 2014: Shootings in Moncton NB, Three RCMP dead

ObedientiaZelum said:
Wow, I'm surprised Smith didn't ask him if he was really really sure and to cross his heart.

Are all guilty pleas met with such redundancy?

Yes.  Reduces grounds for appeal in the future.
 
ObedientiaZelum said:
Wow, I'm surprised Smith didn't ask him if he was really really sure and to cross his heart.

Are all guilty pleas met with such redundancy?

They're standard questions. They have to ensure there's no chance of appeal on a Charter violation.
 
Moncton RCMP Const. Dave Ross's dog Danny prepares to head back to work

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/moncton-rcmp-const-dave-ross-s-dog-danny-prepares-to-head-back-to-work-1.2748900

When RCMP Const. Dave Ross was gunned down in Moncton this June, one of the lasting images was of his police dog mourning his former handler at the funeral.

A few months later, the German shepherd named Danny is preparing to head back to work. Insp. André Lemyre says Danny has overcome many obstacles since returning to the Innisfail RCMP dog training centre in Alberta to meet his new partner.

"You need to give stability to dogs. There are dogs that will encounter some situations, but it's the stability that you give to the dog afterwards that will make the difference," he said.

"This is why it was important for us to bring back Danny here — to bring him back into an environment which was more stable and then look at bonding him with a dog handler that had experience."

Danny was born at the RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail on Sept. 7, 2011. It's also where he developed a bond with Ross.

"I can tell you every time I come here —​ and I came here lots over the summer — I always think of Dave Ross and Danny," said Lemyre, who fondly remembers the two training together.

The pair had graduated from the training facility less than one year before Ross's death.

Sgt. Eric Stebenne says there is a powerful bond between police dogs and their handlers.

"I think it would be fair to say there was very likely some separation anxiety between Danny and Constable Ross when it happened," he said.

After the funeral, Danny was brought back to Innisfail to bond with a new partner.

Lemyre says the new partnership is going well.

"Danny's attention is to his new handler. He focuses on what his new dog handler is telling him," he said. "He focuses on the instruction he receives."

Interest has remained strong in Danny's future. An RCMP video titled "Danny's doing well" already has almost 100,000 hits on YouTube.

Lemyre thanked the public for their support but says now is the time for Danny to focus on the job.

He said the name of Danny's new partner and where he will be stationed is not being released. Danny has five more years of service ahead of him.

"This dog is a police dog. He has a lot of the energy," said Lemyre. "He is one of our top dogs and this dog is a police dog first and foremost."
 
75 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Finally, a fit and proper sentence for murder.  Consecutive, not concurrent.  :salute:
 
Does it even make sense to hand out a 75 year sentence? This is without a chance at parole? Just shoot him. Locking him up for life, not even bothering with rehab, and taxpayer's money until he dies of old age. Yes, he took 3 lives and there should be a heavy price to pay?
Sentences like this make a good argument to bring back capital punishment.
 
jollyjacktar said:
75 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Finally, a fit and proper sentence for murder.  Consecutive, not concurrent.  :salute:
A bit more detail here:
Justin Bourque handed harshest sentence since Canada’s last execution more than 50 years ago

Justin Bourque has been sentenced to serve 75 years in prison before he will be eligible to apply for parole for the June 4 shooting rampage that killed three RCMP officers and wounded two others in Moncton.

Judge David Smith of the Court of Queen’s Bench in New Brunswick delivered his precedent-setting ruling Friday after a sentencing hearing earlier this week during which Bourque apologized to the families of the Mounties he shot.

“This has been difficult for everyone,” Smith said, describing the shootings as “one of the most horrific crime sprees to happen in Canada.”

Bourque’s sentence is the harshest in Canada since the last executions in 1962.

He pleaded guilty in August to three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder ....
 
Bumped with a pretty ballsy statement by Bourque's lawyer - it was the gun's fault ....
The case of Moncton Mountie killer Justin Bourque should spark renewed discussion about firearms regulation in Canada, according to his lawyer.

David Lutz made the comments on Friday after Bourque received five life terms with no chance of parole for 75 years for killing three RCMP officers and wounding two others.

"This tragedy could not have occurred, but for that gun," Lutz said, referring to an M305 .308 rifle, one of the weapons Bourque used in the June 4 shootings. RCMP also recovered a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun.

Lutz told reporters Bourque should not have been able to buy the semi-automatic rifle, which has a range of 250 metres with pinpoint accuracy.

​His client — a "young fella who was lost in society," and "got himself immersed in right-wing, gun nut culture" — was the one who pulled the trigger, but part of the blame also rests with Canada's gun laws, he said ....
:facepalm:
 
What a dumbass. It's all between the trigger finger and the brain. That's it.
 
Bumped with the latest ....
Nearly a year after three RCMP officers were murdered in Moncton by a lone gunman, the police force has been charged with four labour code violations in relation to the incident.

The Employment and Social Development Canada investigation alleges there were violations of the code relating to the force's equipment, training and supervision in the June 4 case that terrorized the New Brunswick city.

(....)

An RCMP review of the shootings said officers responding to the shootings faced a litany of problems that included communicating accurate information, accessing high-powered weaponry and securing protective equipment.

(....)

Commissioner Bob Paulson says the police force is considering the substance of the labour code charges and reviewing what actions it will take.

"The safety of our employees in doing this dangerous job, protecting the public, is always our priority," he said in the news release.

"As our honour roll sadly confirms, there has always been — and sadly always will continue to be — deadly threats to officers."

He says further comment is inappropriate as the matter is before the courts ....
 
The labour code case is still ongoing... http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/rcmp-labour-code-charges-1.3325773

The RCMP was in court on Thursday in connection with charges it violated the Canada Labour Code in relation to the tragic Mountie shootings in Moncton.

However, the case was adjourned again after having been delayed twice previously.

Provincial court Judge Troy Sweet allowed the adjournment, but said, "It's been going on since July."

The RCMP have yet to enter a plea on the charges.

Employment and Social Development Canada, which is responsible for investigating the death of any federal government employee who dies on the job, laid four charges against the national police force in May.

The charges for the alleged labour code violations were recommended by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada after its investigation into the shooting deaths of three RCMP officers and the wounding of two others in 2014.

The federal department alleges the police force was in violation of the Canada Labour Code on four counts.

Failing to provide RCMP members with appropriate use of force equipment and related user training when responding to an active threat or active shooter event.

Failing to provide RCMP members with appropriate information, instruction and/or training to ensure their health and safety when responding to an active threat or active shooter event in an open environment.

Failing to provide RCMP supervisory personnel with appropriate information, instruction and/or training to ensure the health and safety of RCMP members when responding to an active threat or active shooter event in an open environment.

Failing to ensure the health and safety at work of every person employed by it, namely: RCMP members, was protected.
 
In other news on this one, shared with the Fair Dealing bits of the Copyright Act ...
The RCMP say they have completed 42 recommendations stemming from the shooting deaths of three Mounties in Moncton, N.B.

It's been just over a year since the force accepted all 64 recommendations in a report by retired assistant commissioner Alphonse MacNeil.

In his review of the June 2014 shootings, MacNeil called for better access to shotguns and rifles, and training to better prepare supervisors for critical incidents.

He also called for standard equipment for emergency response teams and improvements in radio communication.

The review highlighted a number of problems the Mounties faced when they were searching for Justin Bourque, who was arrested 28 hours after killing three officers and wounding two more.

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Janice Armstrong says they expect to complete another 10 recommendations by April.
 
Brihard said:
The labour code case is still ongoing...

May 12, 2016

RCMP pleads not guilty on Labour Code charges in Moncton rampage deaths
http://www.680news.com/2016/05/12/rcmp-pleads-not-guilty-on-labour-code-charges-in-moncton-rampage-deaths/
The RCMP has pleaded not guilty to four charges of Labour Code violations stemming from the force’s response to a 2014 shooting rampage in Moncton, N.B., that left three Mounties dead and two others wounded.

The trial is scheduled to begin April 17, 2017.
 
‘Relief’ after RCMP found guilty of labour code violation in deadly Moncton shooting

29 September, 2017

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/rcmp-found-guilty-on-one-count-of-labour-code-violation-in-deadly-2014-shooting/article36431250/

Seconds after Provincial Court Justice Leslie Jackson announced his finding that the RCMP are guilty of failing to properly equip officers against a shooter that killed three of them in June, 2014, widow Angela Gévaudan let out an audible gasp of relief.

Ms. Gévaudan's shoulders shook as she bowed her head and began to cry; the two other widows who lost their husbands during a shooting rampage in Moncton, N.B., Nadine Larche and Rachael Ross, also had emotional reactions as they heard Justice Jackson explain that he deemed the RCMP to have violated the Canadian Labour Code.

The federal police force was charged with four counts of violating the law designed to protect the health and safety of workers on the job. The charges stemmed from the rampage of now-convicted murderer Justin Bourque. One count was stayed and the force was found not guilty of the two violations that related to the training of members and supervisors. But the most central charge – the one that holds the RCMP accountable for failing to supply front-line officers with the right guns even though they knew safety was at risk – was where Justice Jackson found guilt.

This was the charge that mattered most to the three widows who sat struggling with their emotions as friends draped arms around them, while the buzzing courtroom emptied out.

Asked whether she was happy with the verdict, Ms. Larche, whose husband was Constable Doug Larche, was careful to say she is "satisfied."

"My hope really is that the silver lining of all of this is that RCMP members that are serving now and in the future will be better equipped and that they'll be safer when they're doing their job," she said. "I felt all along that if RCMP members would have had the proper equipment … the father of my children would not have died."

Ms. Ross, whose husband was Constable Dave Ross, said the verdict means her husband "didn't die in vain. Hopefully something like this won't happen again."

On the steps of the courthouse, in view of a riverside memorial to the fallen officers, Ms. Gévaudan, a former civilian member of the force who worked as a dispatcher, said the trial was "damaging" to the civilian and police community in Moncton. Many remain stung that the RCMP chose to challenge the charges in court – forcing a trial many found painful – rather than admit fault.

"It's very damaging to everyone who wears a uniform. It's damaging to the civilian members, it's damaging to the memory of those who sacrificed themselves in the protection of others," Ms. Gévaudan said. "It breaks the trust. I think the members are still very hurt and feel unsupported. And I think that needs to be addressed."

Aside from the force's lawyers, no representative for the Mounties was in court on Friday.

While Justice Jackson did not discuss reasons for his decision, he released a 64-page judgment. In it, he criticized senior Mounties for paying "lip service" to officer safety and for allowing financial concerns to slow the roll-out of long-range carbine rifles when they knew that without them, members faced increased risks. "Front-line officers were left exposed to potential grievous bodily harm and/or death while responding to active shooter events for years while the carbine rollout limped along," Justice Jackson wrote. "The rollout took too long."

Carbine rifles were first approved by RCMP executives in 2011. When Mr. Bourque struck in 2014, though, no one in Moncton had been trained to use them.

"A real concern for the health and safety of front-line members responding to active shooter events would have seen a rollout of the patrol carbine prioritized and not left to the [vagaries] of available funding," Justice Jackson wrote.

In a statement, the RCMP said they are reviewing the decision and considering next steps. "The health and safety of our employees continues to be the top priority of the RCMP," the statement read. It went on to say that the force is continuing to implement the recommendations made in the MacNeil report, produced after the Moncton shootings. A key recommendation made was that the carbine-rifle project be expedited.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for November. The RCMP faces a maximum fine of $1-million.

Crown prosecutor Paul Adams would not say whether his office will seek full damages at the hearing. He did say that Justice Jackson's decision "broke some new ground."

"Organizations like the RCMP will have to take it into account when they approach officer-safety issues in the future," he said, adding: "It has a chance to have a positive impact."


The full written decision can be found here. I'm about to start reading through it.
 
It's too bad they can't force them to spend the $1M on fixing the problem, rather then a fine (which really is just an electronic shuffle of non-existent funds anyway). 

Really don't understand what all the delays are about; if we can make however many recruits a year competent enough to hit a target, do all the weapon drills and field strip it in the dark while hammering away at them in basic (even uncoordinated ones like me), this should be a pretty easy task for police that are already familiar with firearms.
 
Since the attack occurred there has been a lot of progress in training officers on C8s and acquiring the weapons for issue to on duty officers.
 
Navy_Pete said:
It's too bad they can't force them to spend the $1M on fixing the problem, rather then a fine (which really is just an electronic shuffle of non-existent funds anyway). 

Really don't understand what all the delays are about; if we can make however many recruits a year competent enough to hit a target, do all the weapon drills and field strip it in the dark while hammering away at them in basic (even uncoordinated ones like me), this should be a pretty easy task for police that are already familiar with firearms.

Since one of the problems that the RCMP raised in defending its indefensible position was a lack of funds to buy carbines and body armour, a fine would at best be counterproductive.

I also question whether one can "make" them to fix the problem. When one reads the decision it's abundantly clear that the problem here was (and remains) a senior leadership that didn't give enough of a sh*t to assign the resources necessary to the problem once it was made clear to them that it existed (much less significantly earlier when they should have appreciated that the problem existed) in order to deliver a relevant and timely solution. These bozos didn't (and still don't) pay enough attention to the issues that their front line cops have to deal with. They are not proactive but dismally reactive. Instead they seem to spend their time on bureaucratic games within Ottawa and abrogate their role as leaders in favour of avoiding developing a vision for the future and making hard decisions by lengthy cover-your-ass consensus building processes.

I'm not a supporter of bringing in outside civilian leadership--because I'm sure that would make the situation worse--but the RCMP senior leadership needs a major shakeup. :2c:

:cheers:
 
FJAG said:
Since one of the problems that the RCMP raised in defending its indefensible position was a lack of funds to buy carbines and body armour, a fine would at best be counterproductive.

I also question whether one can "make" them to fix the problem. When one reads the decision it's abundantly clear that the problem here was (and remains) a senior leadership that didn't give enough of a **** to assign the resources necessary to the problem once it was made clear to them that it existed (much less significantly earlier when they should have appreciated that the problem existed) in order to deliver a relevant and timely solution. These bozos didn't (and still don't) pay enough attention to the issues that their front line cops have to deal with. They are not proactive but dismally reactive. Instead they seem to spend their time on bureaucratic games within Ottawa and abrogate their role as leaders in favour of avoiding developing a vision for the future and making hard decisions by lengthy cover-your-*** consensus building processes.

I'm not a supporter of bringing in outside civilian leadership--because I'm sure that would make the situation worse--but the RCMP senior leadership needs a major shakeup. :2c:

:cheers:

I think there's a reason one of the senior Mounties who was actually pushing hardest to see necessary things happen is no longer a Mountie, and is instead now chief of Edmonton Police...

Commissioner Paulson's statements on the stand during the trial were absolutely appalling. He sold members down the river.
 
As a perhaps final chapter on this awful story- tomorrow Her Excellency Julie Payette will be decorating ten members, three posthumously, with the Medal of Bravery for their actions during the shooting. At least that I know of is a former CAF member.

https://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=17130&lan=eng
 
Bumping thread with the latest ...
Four RCMP officers who responded to the 2014 shootings in Moncton, N.B., that claimed the lives of three of their colleagues are suing the attorney general of Canada for negligence.

Mathieu Daigle, Martine Benoit, Robert Nickerson and Shelly Mitchell say in the filings they were inadequately trained and outfitted with only their pistols to deal with a heavily armed shooter using a military-style rifle on June 4, 2014.

In statements of claim filed with the Court of Queens Bench dated last week, the four say they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments and are seeking damages to be determined by the court.

C8 carbine rifles were not available to general duty officers during the shooting spree in Moncton, despite being approved for use in 2011. Their introduction was delayed on several occasions.

"The Plaintiff alleges that the negligence of the RCMP resulted in a situation where he was unequipped to engage the armed assailant, putting his life and the life of his colleagues at extreme risk," Daigle's statement of claim reads.

The four say a Sept. 29, 2017 conviction of the RCMP on Canada Labour Code charges made clear that the police force did not act with due diligence in the rollout of carbines for members, putting their lives at risk ...
More @ link
 
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