Four Mounties Slain in grow-op raid
Thursday, March 3, 2005 Updated at 7:22 PM EST
From Globe & Mail Online
Canadian Press
Rochfort Bridge, Alta. â †Four RCMP officers were shot and killed during a raid on a marijuana grow operation in northwestern Alberta on Thursday, a government source told The Canadian Press.
The source said the four officers went to a farmhouse near Rochfort Bridge where they surprised a lone male suspect, who shot them with a high-powered rifle before killing himself.
A fifth RCMP officer, who was in the area on an unrelated stolen property investigation, discovered the bodies, the source said.
"He just cut them down," the source said of the gunman's actions.
The fifth officer, not knowing if there was another suspect in the area, called for help.
There had been confusion all day about the fate of the officers after the first reports that shots were fired during the raid near Rochfort Bridge, a village of about 60 people.
Solicitor-General Harvey Cenaiko had told reporters four officers were not responding to their radios and referred to "a very serious situation."
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes confirmed that the officers were conducting an investigation at a rural residence. He said there was reason to believe a lone male suspect was armed with a high-powered rifle.
Cpl. Oakes did not release any more information at the time, saying RCMP did not want to jeopardize the safety of their officers.
The lack of information earlier in the day initially led to conflicting reports about what happened.
Sgt. Rick Oncescu of the Calgary RCMP said two SWAT teams were called into the area and Mounties from surrounding jurisdictions also responded.
Major Scott Lundy, a spokesman for Edmonton Garrison, said the military received a request just after 12:30 p.m. from the RCMP for assistance. He said two armoured personnel carriers, an ambulance and about 20 military personnel were dispatched from the military base shortly after that.
About two hours later, police told the military their help was no longer needed.
"I have confirmed we have been stood down," he said.
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.
