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| Great White North |
| Four Canadian Police Killed in Pot Raid |
| 2005-03-04 |
| Four officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were shot dead Thursday while investigating an illegal marijuana farm, the worst case of police killings in Canada in 120 years. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the four officers were at a Quonset hut on 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 news agency that the suspect later killed himself after shooting the officers. "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." Sweeney said he couldn't give details on the shootings until all the facts were gathered. Prime Minister Paul Martin called it an act of "brutality" and offered his condolences to the families of the slain officers. 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 didn't respond to radio calls. Maj. 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 armored personnel carriers, an ambulance and about 20 military personnel were dispatched from the military base. Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said she would consider tougher penalties for growers in a proposed marijuana decriminalization bill. Parliament is preparing to debate a resolution that asserts that legalizing pot would weaken the activities of drug dealers and organized crime. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #12 Sounds like the killer had a bit of a track record. It's surprising the Mounties didn't go in with more gear to deal with him. They were equipped with soft body armor and hand guns. That doesn't sound right when you have come to repo the property of a man who has been brewing, growing and distilling contraband since childhood. |
| Posted by: Classical_Liberal 2005-03-04 10:33:22 PM |
| #11 Rochfort Bridge, Alberta - Looking for info - Other than the new article in different forms, I found the following : Yellow Pages For Livestock Breeders County Landfills and Odd Woman With Flower Pots on Clothesline Must be windy there. The map says it is on the Hwy west of Edmonton halfway to the BC border... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-03-04 4:31:10 PM |
| #10 Shipman-With you on that one-a nice shot of Bushmills would suit me just about fine right now. That region-gateway to Appalachia, all along the Ohio River, was my dad's birthplace. In its furthest eastern range, in PA, when the US was still young, the Irish settlers in the area raised a ruccus on exhorbitant whiskey tariffs. Mrs. D is a much better history buff and probably has much more complete historical info. As far as the people of that area, though, they don't take kindly to trespassers. |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2005-03-04 4:18:02 PM |
| #9 Whiskey Insurrection Shipman : Hope this helps. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-03-04 4:17:41 PM |
| #8 Don't recall the Whiskey Insurrection (altho we can agree it's something worth fighting for). Was Alan Alda in it? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-04 4:09:38 PM |
| #7 Great link, Mitch--I never realized Maxim actually had stories! I'm usually distracted by the... ads... Yeah, that's it! |
| Posted by: Dar 2005-03-04 3:04:58 PM |
| #6 Mitch is right. Remember the Whiskey Insurrection? That region is libertarian heaven-don't nose around people's property unless you want a snootful of buckshot. |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2005-03-04 2:43:43 PM |
| #5 Most RCMP deaths in a single day in 120 years! IT'S A QUAGMIRE!!! LEAVE NOW!!! |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2005-03-04 2:43:41 PM |
| #4 Ditto Northern California, Oregon and Hawaii. Especially in National Forests. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-04 2:27:52 PM |
| #3 Pot farmers can be damned crazy. Don't buy into that kindly-60s-leftover myth. Think "Copperhead Road". There are parts of Appalachia where you don't want to go wandering off the roads or main trails. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2005-03-04 2:24:03 PM |
| #2 That gazillion dollar gun registry in Canada sure made a difference. You would think the killer had to have had a fully automatic Uzi,AK,M-16,AR-15 or some such to get 4 RCMP. Unless the RCMP went in completely relaxed and panicked. There has to be more to story. I'd hate to be the next grower arrested by RCMP who gives any lip,or even twitches while being arrested. |
| Posted by: Stephen 2005-03-04 1:41:11 PM |
| #1 WTF? Pot? This is crazy. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-04 10:49:28 AM |