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Four Mounties Killed

© Mary M. Alward

My heart and condolences go out to the families, friends and fellow officers of the four RCMP officers who were killed on Thursday, March 3rd. The men were all described as junior officers. It seems the officers spent the night of March 2/3 on a stakeout in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta, a rural area northwest of Edmonton. All of the officers were members of the Mayerthorpe detachment who were investigating a marijuana grow operation and allegations of stolen property. Though investigators can't say exactly how the murders came about, it is suspected that the perpetrator returned home, saw the officers' vehicles, sneaked up on them and shot them in cold blood. This theory will either be confirmed or retracted within the next few days. Radio contact with the four officers was lost at about 10 am on Thursday. Two emergency response teams were immediately dispatched from Red Deer and Edmonton. Reinforcements from Edmonton were rushed to the scene. The four officers were found dead at approximately 2:20 pm. Their names were withheld pending notification of next of kin. The suspect, Jim Roszko, 46, of Rochfort Bridge, Alberta, was well known by police officers of the area. He had a long history of run-ins with police and was described as "dangerous." He was also found dead at the scene. Bill Roszko, the suspect's father, told reporters, "He's not my son; he's a wicked devil." He said his son was released from jail about a year ago and blamed his actions on the "bad company" he kept and his involvement in the drug trade. He hadn't spoken to his son in about nine years. People of the area described the suspect as "dangerous" and a recluse. His 200 hectare property was fully fenced and he laid spike belts at the entrances to keep people off his land. In 1993, he was charged with unlawful confinement, pointing a firearm, assault with a weapon, and impersonating a police officer, when he was involved in a dispute with a school trustee. In 1999, he was charged after he shot at two people who wandered onto his property. These charges were dismissed. The officers who died on Thursday have now been identified as Constable Brock Myrol, 29; Constable Anthony Gordon, 28; Constable Peter Schiemann, 25; and Constable Leo Johnston, 34. Constable Myrol graduated only a month ago and had been on the force only two weeks. Constable Johnson was an ace marksman and had been with the force for four years. He'd received Crown Pistols and Crown Rifle badges.

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