final credits - alberta RCMP deaths



For the latest developments in this story, visit the Deadmonton - Alberta RCMP Deaths page.




Royal Canadian Mounted Police

It started out as a routine investigation of stolen property. It ended with the death of four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers. Bill Sweeney, commanding officer of the RCMP in Alberta, Canada, said "You have to go back to about 1885 in RCMP history during the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude."




Alberta, Canada

A mandatory provincial fatality inquiry into the slaying of four RCMP officers by a gunman will eventually detail the unfolding of events that took place Thursday, March 3, 2005 at Rochfort Bridge, Alberta. Rochfort Bridge is located southeast of Mayerthorpe, a town with a population of 1500, and located 135 kilometres (85 miles) northwest of Edmonton. Mounties from the major crimes investigation unit from British Columbia are now in Alberta to assist and review the criminal investigation into police operational procedures.


The following construction of events has been gathered from television, radio, newspaper and online news services as information became available in the hours and days following the shootings. Additional information is becoming available on an near-daily basis. Newer entries to this narrative have been appended to this original report.


On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 2, 2005 a bailiff with a court order was sent by an Edmonton auto dealership to repossess a pickup truck that a James Roszko, 46, had stopped making payments on. When the bailiff arrived at Roszko's farm near Rochfort Bridge, a man started shouting at him and released two dogs that appeared to be Rottweilers. The man sped off in a truck and the bailiff called the RCMP for assistance.


When the Mounties arrived at the farm, they found what they say was stolen truck parts and about 20 marijuana plants. Police then proceeded to obtain a search warrant and placed the farm under surveillance. Area witnesses described a police chase through the hills around the village of Rochfort Bridge, with persons on horseback nearly being hit. Police told them they were pursuing a suspect in a stolen vehicle.


Officers from Edmonton Police Services and an RCMP Green Team arrived around midnight with a search warrant. They discovered 300 marijuana plants and evidence of a vehicle chop shop, a car-parts theft operation. At 4:30 a.m. Thursday, the Green Team left and two officers remained to secure the area and wait for members of the Edmonton RCMP Auto Theft Unit to bring a warrant allowing them to further search the property. At 9 a.m. the officers remaining on scene were joined by two additional officers from local detachments. The occupant of the farm did not appear to have been on the premises overnight but had apparently returned at some point.


Quonset hut on Roszko farm

Reports suggest two officers were inside a Quonset hut on the property, with the two other officers outside, when at approximately 9:15 a.m. a shootout broke out between police and a male suspect. The suspect was later identified by RCMP as Roszko, the farm's owner. Two officers from the Edmonton RCMP's Auto Theft Unit had just arrived to take inventory of the stolen property. As they were getting out of their car, they heard shots being fired inside the hut. The RCMP say that Roszko, armed with a Heckler & Koch .308 semi-automatic assault rifle, came out of the hut and began firing at the newly arrived officers, who returned fire. Roszko then ran back inside, leaving the two Auto Theft officers outside unsure of the fate of the four officers in the hut. After the shots died down, none of the police on the property responded to their radios. RCMP told local media Friday morning that all four Mounties were killed within seconds of each other.


A spokesman for Canada's armed forces 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 thereafter. The RCMP called in its emergency response team and major crime units and closed the airspace over the area. It requested the Edmonton Police Service helicopter Air-1 be brought in. At total of 35 officers entered the area. About two hours later, police told the military their help was no longer needed.


RCMP Emergency Response

The bodies of the four officers were discovered by emergency response team officers at about 2:20 p.m. James Roszko was also found dead. An RCMP spokesperson said the suspect "was known to police." In statements made Friday afternoon, the RCMP indicated all four officers were shot inside the hut, but media coverage immediately after the event showed two bodies on the ground outside. A government source had first told news agencies that the suspect later killed himself after shooting the officers; however at the news conference held Friday afternoon they stated they were unable to determine how he died.


Responding to media questions Thursday, the RCMP "bristled" at questions regarding whether the officers had adequate supervision, and stated that it was "a question that's going to come up in the coming days." Early media reports suggest the officers were equipped only with handguns and soft light body armour. On Friday RCMP stated that officers carried additional equipment when first arriving at the farm Wednesday night. It remains unclear when or why police took lesser precautions during the event.



Recent developments



Saturday, March 5, 2005

At a briefing outside the Mayerthorpe RCMP detachment Saturday morning, Supt. Marty Cheliak told reporters "None of our officers were struck by friendly fire. James Roszko was hit by return fire from our officers. Those strikes did not result in his death. James Roszko then took his own life." Cheliak said this information was based on preliminary results from medical examiners. It wasn't made clear if any of the four officers killed had returned fire. It has been established that Roszko traded fire with other officers after the deadly incident inside the Quonset hut.


RCMP Corporal Wayne Oakes added that it isn't known yet whether Roszko was waiting for the officers inside the Quonset or whether he entered it from outside. Cheliak called the shootout an ambush. Cheliak also said they have also located Roszko's white Ford F350 pickup truck through the help of Alberta's Rural Crime Watch program volunteers, but wouldn't say where it was found. Roszko fled the farm Wednesday evening in a truck. Asked why Roszko was successful in killing four officers, Cheliak said, "that will have to be determined through the investigative process."


Reporters asked about about heightened security Saturday at Roszko's farm. At one point, the news media was pushed back. Cheliak said he wasn't prepared to discuss that. When a reporter said guns were drawn on a man out there, Oakes said, "first I've heard of it." A CTV reporter said that the blockade scene was "very bizarre and very sudden." One RCMP officer privately told the reporter that some local crazies were trying to make some trouble.


Other information has been emerging about the man who killed four young RCMP constables on Thursday. An affidavit signed by a bailiff and made public Friday night says Jim Roszko would most likely shoot on sight anyone he found on his property. "The debtor is quite dangerous, has a long history of assaults, is in possession of a number of firearms ... and is known to have booby-trapped land," it read. "We just never went out there alone ... because of his reputation," RCMP Const. Julie Letal of the Mayerthorpe detachment said. Letal, who was at the farm Wednesday, said she warned her friends and colleagues about Roszko. "When I went, I told the boys to make sure everything's clear, because he's watching us," she said.


Roszko's former lawyer, who represented him for about 15 years, wondered under what circumstances the officers were sent to the farm. "It astounds me that they ventured out and exposed themselves as they did," Guy Fontaine told CTV News.


In an interview with the Toronto Star, Josephine Ruel -- Roszko's sister -- said her brother had called her the day before the carnage. "He said there were police everywhere. I wish I could have said something that could have made a difference. Maybe this wouldn't have happened."


Ruel painted a somewhat different portrait of the man her own father called a "devil" -- a man convicted of violent crimes and sexually assaulting a boy. "They made him out to be such a monster, but out of the eight of us (children), I knew he was the one kid who needed more love than anyone else," she said.


Sunday, March 6, 2005

RCMP Emergency Response

Early yesterday afternoon, orders from the Mayerthorpe detachment came to increase the threat level around the murder scene at Roszko's farm. Media, who had been allowed to within a few hundred yards south of the farmyard, were told to move across the highway, about a kilometre north, after a mystery truck pulled onto the road and headed towards the scene. Mounties drew weapons on the driver, who himself appeared to have a sidearm. Police later said the man was affiliated with RCMP.


A member of RCMP Special Tactical Operations Team (STOT) talked about the rumours that led to the action moments earlier. "There was some information that was unconfirmed, just some people talking around town," said Cpl. Rodney Koscielny, adding he could not get into details about the nature of the threat. "As you know, not everyone likes the police," said Koscielny. "Not everyone likes what we do."


Supt. Marty Cheliak also discussed the rumours, saying one surfaced yesterday afternoon "that a shot was fired in the area of the crime scene and two people were taken into custody. We have no evidence to support these rumours." Another rumour that a police officer was "injured or wounded" yesterday and taken by STARS air ambulance to the University hospital in Edmonton "is also false."


And Cheliak attempted to quash yet another rumour, that there was a vehicle pursuit between RCMP and Roszko leading up to the ambush. "There was no pursuit involved, no hazardous pursuit," Cheliak said yesterday. "The vehicle was located by our volunteer Rural Crime Watch last night." Cheliak said he could not release the location where the truck was found. However, a Global television report indicated the truck was found 24 kilometres from Roszko's property. How he returned to his farm has yet to be determined.


While Mounties have said repeatedly the four officers slain in an ambush were well prepared, an Edmonton Sun newspaper source claims at least one wasn't wearing an armoured vest and wasn't even armed when he was murdered. The source identified that officer as Schiemann. Cheliak said all officers involved in the incident were highly trained. "Safety concerns were covered in detail."


Cheliak wouldn't speak directly to suggestions the four men - who were said by cops to be wearing soft body armour that couldn't withstand bursts from Roszko's semi-automatic, assault-style rifle - were sent into the situation ill-prepared. He said they had a 12-gauge shotgun and a .308-calibre long-barrel rifle along with their 9-mm handguns. However, Mounties later denied any knowledge of allegations that Schiemann was not wearing body armour or carrying his issued sidearm at the time he was killed.


Further details are emerging about the sequence of events of Wednesday afternoon. In an interview with the Edmonton Journal, bailiff Mark Hnatiw spoke of what drew the four RCMP officers to the ambush.


Hnatiw and another bailiff drove to Roszko's farm to repossess a 2005 white Ford F350 pickup for Edmonton dealership Kentwood Ford. Roszko refused to respond when Hnatiw and a fellow bailiff stopped at the main entrance gate to Roszko's farm. Hnatiw said they never had a chance to tell Roszko who they were or why they were there. Roszko ignored them and walked into his Quonset hut. "The next sighting of him he appeared by his pickup truck by the trailer. How he got there, I don't know. I didn't observe him walking across the yard or anything."


That's when Roszko set loose his two Rottweilers. Hnatiw called the police "because it was starting to get weird." Roszko got into the white Ford F350 and drove south through a gate, stopping at another. "He backed his truck up and came towards us to the chain-link gates, stopped, let himself through that chain-link gate and before he got back into his truck he yelled at us to 'F--- off.' "


Roszko sped off and headed north. About a minute later, RCMP Cpl. James Martin and Const. Peter Schiemann arrived. Hnatiw said a police car set off to catch up with Roszko. "A couple of officers ... tried to head him off, but they missed him," Hnatiw said.


"When they came back, they said a couple of gals on horseback said that he had broken through a fence with the truck, went through the ditch, almost hitting them." No one appears to know where Roszko headed from there.


Twenty-five minutes after arriving at Roszko's farm Wednesday, the bailiffs cut the lock on the farm gate and stepped onto the property with Martin and Schiemann. Hnatiw said police pepper sprayed the Rottweilers to subdue them. Once inside the Quonset hut, Martin saw two partially dismantled pickup trucks, a quad recreation vehicle, pieces of a motorcycle, tools and a generator. He smelled marijuana. The plants were in a wooden shed in the southwest corner of the hut.


In a search warrant, police mention about 20 mature marijuana plants growing in pots. A bulletin sent to Edmonton police on the day of the shooting said 280 plants were seized and $8,000 worth of growing equipment. It noted that the stolen generator was worth $30,000.


The bailiffs left around 6:30 p.m. after taping a seizure notice to the door of Roszko's trailer. "We were hoping that this fellow was going to have a change of heart, return and come to his senses and just turn over the truck and we'd be gone, which is often the case," Hnatiw said. "A lot of people ... do panic and run away and then they have second thoughts. They realize it's just a vehicle and they just turn it in."


Officers with the joint Edmonton-RCMP Green Team left around 4:30 a.m. The vehicle theft investigation was planned for Thursday morning. "Officers guarding the scene were in regular contact with other officers and supervisors." At some point, Roszko returned.


Monday, March 7, 2005

Additional information about Roszko's activities Wednesday evening is becoming available. After leaving his farm, Roszko phoned a sister, Josephine Ruel, to rage about the police presence there. The RCMP have yet to determine how Roszko travelled back to the farm from where his truck found.


The person who police drew their weapons on Saturday afternoon at Roszko's farm was a Pentecostal minister. Pastor Arnold Lotholz is an emergency response official with the town of Mayerthorpe and had police approval to visit the crime scene slightly north of Rochfort Bridge. When police didn't recognize his vehicle, despite a green sticker identifying it as an emergency responder's, they trained guns on it. Lotholz emerged with his hands up, but insisted afterwards he wasn't frightened during the encounter.


Tuesday, March 8, 2005

Kim Connell, a 29-year RCMP veteran, spent his last 10 years of service posted at the Mayerthorpe detachment. He is currently the deputy mayor of Mayerthorpe. Speaking to CTV News Monday, Connell said it was a sad irony that Schiemann wasn't even on duty at the time of the murders. "Peter Schiemann wasn't even supposed to be working. He was just dropping a member off there on his way to the city. He wasn't even in uniform. That's Peter. Helping someone out." An Edmonton Sun newspaper source earlier claimed one officer wasn't wearing a vest or was evern armed, with the source identifying that officer as Schiemann. Cpl. Wayne Oakes, the RCMP's spokesperson in Alberta, said he knows the circumstances, but cannot discuss them.


The RCMP are defending how the Rochfort Bridge operation was handled in the face of sharp criticism from former RCMP superintendent Clyde Kitteringham. Kitteringham spoke out Monday about what he considers a crucial lack of protection for the officers killed, saying people inside the force are being told to keep quiet or risk losing their jobs.


"Based on my many, many years of experience in both rural Alberta and elsewhere as an operational police officer, this was a failure." Kitteringham spent 21 years in Alberta during his 39-year career with the RCMP. "It was negligent supervision, quite frankly, and I haven't heard anyone tell me it wasn't."


Kitteringham said supervisors clearly erred by leaving junior members overnight to keep watch. He said the officers were exposed to an ambush because no one kept tabs on where Roszko was throughout the night, allowing him to sneak back onto the farm without the officers' knowledge.


Cpl. Oakes had only a few terse words when asked about Kitteringham's views. "That superintendent does not have all the facts or the points about this investigation," he said. "If we sent more people in there, we would have had more people to bury," Cpl. Oakes said. "The armchair quarterbacking is unbelievable. It's inappropriate for any of us to sit back and say anything. It's one thing to question as many in the media are . . . but they are almost damning us, if you will."


Cpl. Oakes said a full account - at least one that can be compiled from forensic evidence and from witnesses - will come out during a provincial fatality inquiry, if not sooner. He added, a complete picture may never be known. "All [key] parties are deceased."


RCMP say they are investigating the possibility that Jim Roszko received help getting back to the scene of the ambush from where his truck was recovered 24 kilometres from the farm. "We have no evidence of that at this point in time, but we are not blind to that possibility," spokesman Cpl. Oakes said, adding "We are keeping every avenue of this investigation open." Police have said nobody saw Roszko return to the property, but several people close to Roszko have said he monitored police scanners and would have been aware of their movements. The Mounties are now also looking at the possibility that other people were involved in Roszko's criminal enterprises - the small marijuana operation and the stolen auto parts that were found in the Quonset. They had previously ruled that out.


Local residents are starting to talk quietly about how Roszko, a man who some said never smoked marijuana and didn't even know how to fix cars, could have had a small pot-growing operation and stolen auto parts on his property. A Mayerthorpe man, who didn't want to be identified for fear Roszko's allies may target him, had worked on the property and knew him for 20 years. "This was new for him. He definitely wasn't doing this before he went to prison." He believes that Roszko, who was released from prison in August, 2002 after serving time for sexual assault, was working with a small "crew of career criminals" from the Mayerthorpe area. One of the group's members has had a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest since 2003.


Wednesday, March 9, 2005

CTV News reports residents in Mayerthorpe are questioning whether one of their own -- knowingly, unwittingly or perhaps even against their will -- may have helped James Roszko by giving him a ride in the hours before he killed four RCMP officers.


"He didn't have any friends, so if somebody did help him they were being blackmailed," said a man who has known Roszko since they attended the same school parties. While Roszko's reputation as a violent man was common knowledge, some might not have recognised him on the side of the road. As in any Canadian small town, almost everyone will admit to having picked up a stranger and given them a lift a time or two.


Other townsfolk, as reported by the TV network, wondered if Roszko had definitely been the one who drove the truck out of his property and if he's the one who even dropped the truck off.


RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes said it would be premature to use the word accomplice to describe anyone who might have helped Roszko, and details about Roszko's whereabouts during his final hours are still a focal point of the case. "Investigators would like to hear from anyone who may have provided him with a ride," said Oakes, who added the truck was located with help from Crime Stoppers. "We are open to looking at every possible bit of information that comes to the investigators' attention."


Thursday, March 10, 2005

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced on its National News broadcast Wednesday evening that two of the last calls made from the house of James Roszko were to the CBC. One call was placed to the broadcaster's audience relations line and the other to the news program's toll-free number. The CBC is investigating if there is any record of those calls. The CBC was made aware of these calls by the RCMP Major Crime Unit investigating the case. The CBC stated that they were provided with no indication of when those calls were made.


Canadian federal Tory deputy leader Peter MacKay charged yesterday that RCMP Commissioner Guiliano Zaccardelli should have been more cautious before linking the killing of four of his officers solely to a marijuana grow operation. Zaccardelli has since retracted the statements, and MacKay called on Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, who also made the link, to do the same.


"What the commissioner has done in stepping back from that is an admission that he should have gathered more information, he should have been a little more cautious in linking that as the root cause. McLellan should follow Zaccardelli's lead," MacKay was quoted.


McLellan's spokesman, Alex Swann, said she has never commented on the investigation into the murder of the four officers. "When she was asked her position on grow-ops, she spoke to those matters and her views were not shaped by this event. Her views are long held on grow-ops," Swann said.


Liberal MP Paul DeVillers, who chairs the Commons justice committee, defended Zaccardelli's statements, insisting it was a "natural" connection to make in the aftermath of the murders. "It doesn't change the fact that grow-ops are very dangerous and police are frustrated over the fact that they are at risk, having encountered a lot of incidents involving organized crime and well-armed groups that are there to protect their grow-ops at any cost," he said.


Police have released additional details surrounding the events of March 2nd & 3rd, 2005.


After a call was received from bailiffs seeking to reposess property, RCMP members arrived at the scene within minutes but Roszko was gone. "We can state that when the sheriff's bailiffs attended the property, he did bolt from the property," RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Oakes said. "He took off. There's no question about that. Some folks in the area said that they were almost struck by him. That may, in fact, have ... may, in fact, did occur, but we were not in pursuit of Mr. Roszko."


Accompanied by police officers, bailiffs cut the padlock at the farm gate and went up the lane and into the Quonset. Some of the items they found inside include:



"From there, they went in to the process of acquiring what they needed to lawfully then gain access to the property because now it goes beyond the matter of assisting the bailiffs. [It became] a criminal investigation," Cpl. Oakes says.


Police obtained a warrant and spent hours removing evidence from the farm. Meanwhile, Roszko made two phone calls, one to his mother and one to his sister, Joe Ruel.


"When I talked to him and he talked to my mother later, it was a total hopelessness, like, and there was fear, and he was hiding," Ruel said.


Overnight, two constables guarded the farm. By the next morning, two more constables arrived. The four were Tony Gordon, Peter Shiemann, Brock Myrol, and Leo Johnston. They were waiting for an auto theft team to arrive from Edmonton.


"Two officers from the auto theft detail arrived, and that's when the gunfire erupted. The two auto theft detail members were outside of the Quonset. The other four operational members were inside the Quonset," Cpl. Oakes said.


"The two officers outside hear some popping sounds, which was the gunfire, and within moments, they were also confronted with gunfire. We know that at least one of our officers that was outside was able to return fire as they were diving for cover, and Roszko quickly retreated back inside the Quonset. From that moment on, there was likely a very eerie quiet." The officers outside retreated and called for backup.


"Because there was no contact, no communication, we had no idea what the condition of our officers were at that point in time, if, in fact, they had been fatally shot or if they were in some manner taking cover inside the Quonset," Cpl. Oakes said. "We had no idea. The two auto theft detail members knew that at least one of our officers were down. One officer was visible in the doorway, but beyond that, we had no idea."


Four hours later, tactical teams entered the Quonset and learned the extent of the tragedy. All four officers were dead, killed by bullets from Roszko's gun. Roszko, shot by police, killed himself with his own gun.


In an interview with CTV News on March 9th, the bailiff charged with the task of repossessing James Roszko's Ford pickup said he had no idea of the man's violent past. Mark Hnatiw was one of the last people known to have talked to Roszko.


The six-foot-three-inch, 250-pound Hnatiw, a former prison guard of 15 years, stated "The first thing I remember seeing was very new model Ford truck parts. White in colour. What am I looking for? White Ford truck. What went through my mind was . . . maybe he's taken it apart. We're looking for booby traps. This guy's a criminal. Who knows what we're going to find?"


Hnatiw said the RCMP were happy to finally get onto Roszko's property, as it had been some time since they were able to gain access to it. At one point someone yelled out, "'Smell that? It's a grow in here."


After hearing the news of the officers' deaths the next day, Hnatiw said "I started to shake . . . oh my God, I was there when [Roszko] was on the property. Why aren't I dead?" Hnatiw has taken 30 days time off from work to try to cope with the tragedy.


Hnatiw said he was satisfied with his work and had a good feeling when he left Roszko's property. He spoke with RCMP Const. Brock Myrol before leaving the scene. "A fine looking young man. Shiny boots, looked like a million bucks, proud to be there ...," Hnatiw said.


James Roszko's sister, Joe Ruel, says she's not ready to accept the police version of events.


"If they knew [what they did], then why did they send in young rookies?" Ruel asks. "I think if they were positive and really knew he had a gun, I think they would have sent more experienced personnel are my feelings, because they knew he was not allowed to have a gun."


"Probably one of the biggest burning questions is how did James Roszko get back to the property? Where was he during the time from the Wednesday afternoon when the bailiffs first attended the property?" Cpl. Oakes asks. "In the end, the investigative team will hopefully be able to come up with some answers to all of those questions. With any luck and the skills employed, they will have those answers."


Questions continue to arise about how the RCMP handled James Roszko.


In a 1999 report, a bailiff sent to seize cattle on his farm wrote: "Called a number of informants, including the RCMP, about this debtor. Learned he was quite dangerous ... in possession of a number of firearms." Retired RCMP officer Kim Connell, now deputy mayor of Mayerthorpe, said "Every time you met him, it was a violent confrontation." Even during routine traffic checks, he said, "The members would stop him and the argument would be on, the screaming and yelling and spitting." A psychiatric profile done in 2000 that said Roszko refused to accept responsibility for his crimes and was preoccupied with legal proceedings. It recommended keeping him locked up.


With regard to how Roszko returned to his farm without detection, Cliff Walde, a retired RCMP sergeant who served with the Mayerthorpe detachment, said he once went to Roszko's farm to conduct an unsuccessful search for possible illegal firearms. Walde said it wouldn't have been difficult for someone to sneak back undetected to Roszko's property in the dark, considering the size of the farm, the backroads in the area, and the cover provided by nearby brush and rolling hills. "If you had 30 officers, it still wouldn't have made any difference - you could've still snuck onto the property," said Walde. "You got to remember, you're out in the country. There's no street lights."


Recently released court documents reveal Roszko offered a young acquaintance $10,000 in 1993 to kill a man with an automatic assault rifle that may have been the same weapon used in slayings of March 3rd. Roszko was charged with counselling another person to commit murder, but the charge was dropped after a preliminary hearing when the judge ruled that casually talking about killing someone isn't the same thing as plotting to kill someone.


An 18-year-old witness testified that Roszko kept raising the offer until it reached $10,000, but he steadfastly refused to kill the intended target because he was a friend. He said Roszko never really provided any valid reasons for why he wanted the other young man dead. "He just offered me the money and I wasn't going to do it," he told the court.


Between 1993 and 1998, Mayerthorpe RCMP had gone on to James Roszko's farm three times, carrying search warrants and looking for any illegal or unregistered weapons. "We didn't find the one we were looking for," said retired RCMP Sergeant Cliff Walde. Police were specifically searching for a HK rife that Roszko said his brother brought back from the United States 25 years ago.


Friday, March 11, 2005

On a sunny, warm spring day, a city stopped and a nation mourned. 15,000 people attended a memorial held in the University of Alberta's Butterdome sports arena in Edmonton on Thursday, March 10th. In likely the largest gathering ever of its kind, 8,000 of those paying tribute were from police forces across Canada and the United States. Brothers in red, green and blue came from as far away as Manhattan and Boston, with many paying their own way.


Edmontonians gathered wherever they could to watch televised coverage that was shown on all national networks. At the memorial, tributes were offered by friends, family, fellow officers and politicians of every stripe. Song was provided by singers and musicians from Western Canada. At a time when playoff hockey would normally dominate conversation, a nation was quiet, reflecting the pain of another national symbol that has suffered loss.


Investigation into the events of last week were put on hold as officers honoured their brethern at a ceremony held in the province's capital. For a description of the memorial and a record of the words offered, visit the Last Link RCMP Farewell page.


On Friday, the day following the public ceremony held in Edmonton, two of the Mounties killed last week were laid to rest in private and separate ceremonies.


A closed funeral was held for Const. Leo Johnston at the Evangelical Free Church in the northern Alberta town of Lac la Biche. Johnston was remembered as a man who adored his family and enjoyed spending time in the outdoors. He had been married to his wife Kelly for three months when he lost his life.


In the city of Red Deer in central Alberta, nine pallbearers carried Gordon's casket in to St. Mary's Catholic Church. There were officers from Edmonton, Calgary and Oregon at the well-known curved red brick church designed by architect Douglas Cardinal. Gordon is survived by his wife, Kim, and son, Spencer, with another child on the way.


Saturday, March 12, 2005

In Red Deer Saturday afternoon, about 4,000 people attended the funeral for Brock Myrol, the last of the four RCMP officers felled in the line of duty to be buried this week. Mounties in red serge walked to the church where Myrol's service was held, accompanied by bagpipes.


Myrol had been the valedictorian of his graduating class just weeks before the shooting, and had recently become engaged. Myrol had been on the job for just 17 days. Thursday, at a national memorial for all four officers, Rev. Art Hundeby recalled Myrol as a man who always set the bar high and then leaped over it, dragging friends with him. "He put others' safety first, that's who he was," Hundeby said.


Myrol's family has been the most politically outspoken about the tragedy. On the day after the four young Mounties were slain, his mother demanded that Prime Minister Paul Martin toughen the laws to ensure police have the tools to ensure public safety. She lashed out at the "liberal-minded" justice system that allowed James Roszko, a convicted child molester and known threat to police, to walk free.


The RCMP have received reports of about a charity scam related to the slayings of the four Alberta Mounties. A legitimate fund has been set up for the slain officers' families through three Alberta Credit Unions, but the RCMP say someone has been falsely soliciting donations by telephone and possibly also through e-mails.


Police are urging people to be cautious if they receive requests for donations, and to ask a lot of questions. Anyone who may have fallen victim to such a scam should contact local police and PhoneBusters, the Canadian Anti-fraud Call Centre, at 1-888-495-8501 (Phonebusters).


Sunday, March 13, 2005

RCMP investigators continue to recover evidence from Roszko's farm near Rochfort Bridge. In addition to using digging machines, ground radar, infrared and other scanning equipment, police have been seen in television coverage loading several moving vans with oil drums and other large objects. The undated footage also shows the farm's fields being swept with metal detectors as part of a grid search of the property. Officers were also shown sifting and screening dirt.


Rumours continue to circulate as to what is being found on the site. The RCMP are denying reports that they have found crosses marking possible graves on Roszko's farm. Police spokesmen also refused to discuss speculation that the scanning equipment was being used to detect underground weapon or drug caches, or for secret tunnels that Roszko may have used.


In a statement released Saturday, the RCMP comment, "There is no evidence to support such allegations. Digging equipment is being used to assist investigators who are diligently addressing every aspect of a crime scene. This is an active investigation, and we must do our best to preserve the investigative process."


The RCMP said they expect to be finished with the site by Wednesday.


Monday, March 14, 2005



Words of criticism and concern has come from several civilians who were present at the Roszko farm the morning of March 3, the day of the shootings. Bruce Pearce and Kenny Poeter were two mechanics the RCMP called to help recover stolen vehicles and parts. Another civilian was also called to work on the farm's the power supply.


"I talked to them all and six hours later they were dead. I could have been one of them. Jim Roszko could have been 100 yards away," Pearce said.


"It was pretty scary," Poeter added. "Thankfully, [Roszko] didn't show up when we were there."


Looking back, Pearce said he doesn't think anyone should have been out at the property with Roszko on the loose. "Who says he didn't have a nightscope? What I'd like to see come out of this is that civilians aren't involved until the person is in custody."


Pearce's employer called him about 12:15 a.m. Thursday, saying they were going to help RCMP recover some stolen property. The two picked up Poeter on the way to Roszko's. Poeter said he was "a little worried" when he learned their destination, but he was curious, too. Pearce said police gave them no indication that the assignment was any more dangerous than any other repossession, though he said his boss told him Roszko was at large.


"I guess I felt safe, but I was nervous," Pearce recalled. "Nobody knew where he was. He could have been anywhere. We just basically wanted to get loaded up and get out. I always heard all the stories."


They drove in the front gate - with no sign of a spike belt - and went right to the Quonset. Both men describe a spartan, untidy interior with a sandy floor and unadorned walls. "It was tin outside and tin inside," Poeter said.


The Quonset held two pickup trucks, a truck box full of vehicle parts, a generator, a racing quad, a garden tractor, a dirt bike, piles of tires and bags of fertilizer. Hand tools were strewn on the floor, with no sign of any heavy equipment such as a chain hoist for lifting engines. "I couldn't tell you how he was picking this stuff off," Pearce said.


Several large water tanks, more than two metres tall, stood near Roszko's marijuana grow-op, which was blocked off from the rest of the Quonset by makeshift walls of plywood and polyethylene sheeting.


The plants, rooted in soil, were brightly lit by large bulbs. About 20 plants had just been freshly harvested, Pearce said. "It just stunk [in the grow-op] like you wouldn't believe. Thirty seconds [in there] and my head was starting to pound."


Pearce said there were eight to 10 RCMP officers on the farm during the two hours he was there. While some Mounties were dismantling a marijuana grow operation, others were standing outside or searching Roszko's home. Poeter said at least one officer was in the Quonset during the entire two hours the crew was there.


While Pearce, Poeter and their employer loaded the stolen property onto trailers and tow trucks, a fourth civilian joined them to work on the farm's power supply. As they were preparing to leave, some time after 2 a.m., one officer spotted a light in a nearby field, Poeter said. Police then escorted them back to town.


Later that morning, Pearce got a call about a disabled RCMP vehicle that he thought was near Roszko's farm. When he arrived there about 10 a.m. and saw three ambulances, a fire truck, a medical helicopter and a number of Mounties armed with rifles. Pearce heard one shot, then silence.


It was only then, Pearce said, that he realized how much danger he could have been in.


Retired RCMP officer Al Kirbyson said he could not understand why anyone, let alone civilians, was on the farm when police didn't know where Roszko was.


"Everybody is at risk - the mechanics, the police - if that scene is not secured," Kirbyson said. "That psychopath individual running at large like a loose cannon across the prairies, he should have been accounted for."


RCMP investigators are still conducting a grid search of the farm, using ground radar, X-ray equipment and a helicopter equipped with the Forward Looking Infra-Red system. They expect their work to take at least another three days.


On Sunday, March 13, a news-media report said Roszko lay in wait from an elevated vantage point outdoors, from where he shot and wounded the four Mounties before dragging them inside a Quonset hut and killing them before turning a gun on himself. "We stand behind what we've said from Day 1," RCMP Corporal Wayne Oakes said. "They were shot and killed inside the Quonset."


People around Mayerthorpe say Roszko was rumoured to have guns hidden on his property.


Mayerthorpe-area cattleman Grant Chittick went to school with Roszko as a kid. He said yesterday he's been hearing rumours of crosses on the farm marking graves. Chittick suggested Roszko might have dug tunnels more for "hiding stuff" than to give himself a way to get on and off the property.


Former RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Kirbyson, who lives near Mayerthorpe, said he's heard rumours Roszko had grenades buried on the farm. "Grenades are pretty hard to come by. But I would think they have a pretty good chance of finding firearms," he said. One story going around is that Roszko would bury arms on his property, then park heavy equipment over the site. Kirbyson said he has also heard stories of tunnels.


RCMP media spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the equipment was sent out to track down evidence long before rumours began circulating. "The matter of the fact is there is absolutely no evidence to support those rumours," Oakes said. Investigators would not describe any evidence collected from the property.



The Edmonton Sun ran a story titled "Long History Of Hatred," written by Sun Media crime reporter Mike D'Amour, in their Monday, March 14, 2005 edition. D'Amour, using actual police notes, court documents and recorded conversations with serving and retired members of the RCMP -- formulated what the Sun says is the most likely theory as to what took place on March 3. Much of what follows had never been reported and is excerpted from D'Amour's article.

One retired cop who, like many quoted here, would speak only if his anonymity was guaranteed.

"The one thing that got to him, the thing that really tipped him over was seat-belt tickets." The killings may have been sparked by a simple traffic ticket

Several hand-written comments -- taken directly from police notebooks written over the course of a few years -- show every time Roszko was pulled over, he was confrontational, abusive and extraordinarily abrasive. His conversations with police were laced with profanity.

Despite his attempts to convince officers he had a doctor's note that exempted him from wearing a belt -- though he never once produced one -- he was usually handed a ticket for the infraction.

It's believed the last officer to give him such a ticket was Mayerthorpe RCMP Const. Peter Schiemann, 25, one of the murdered Mounties and the only officer at the scene not wearing body armour or a sidearm. The fact is Schiemann was off duty that day.

He was dropping off a vehicle in Edmonton and offered to take eager 29-year-old Const. Brock Myrol -- a new officer with only a couple of weeks on the job and a hunger to get in on the action -- to Roszko's farm.

Why the Mounties believe that detail is a matter of security so vital it's not to be discussed is anyone's guess.

The RCMP also deny they were in hot pursuit of Roszko earlier the same day despite the fact several eyewitnesses to the event have spoken publicly about what they saw.

Roszko was seen leaving his property on a Wednesday afternoon driving a 2005 white Ford pickup truck that bailiffs had come to repossess.

It was seen later that night being chased by at least one police car with lights flashing.

Another inconsistency is that Mounties at the scene said Roszko's truck was found on his property, yet another version has the vehicle found 24 km from his farm.

If that's true, then it's conceivable the killer had help getting back to his property.

At some point, Roszko secretly returned to his farm. What happened next is up for debate, but one Mountie source who knew the four young officers and Roszko said he has an idea what occurred.

Despite a court-imposed ban on Roszko owning or possessing firearms, it was well-known he kept several weapons on his property. He would constantly practise, sometimes on targets set up as far as 200 metres from where he stood. He became a crack shot.

"I believe Roszko was in an elevated vantage point on his property, watching the two members and deciding what to do next," said the source. "I don't know if he was going to sneak away or whether he was waiting for a bunch of cops to show up to start shooting."

It was at that point the source believes Schiemann pulled up to the scene to drop Myrol off. "Roszko saw Peter get out of the car and I think something in him snapped and he started shooting."

The source said Schiemann was the last Mountie to give Roszko a ticket for refusing to wear a seat-belt.

"That ticket had gone to warrant and Roszko was furious," said the source, who also said he believes Roszko killed all the officers outside the Quonset hut, inside where 20 marijuana plants were flowering beside a selection of stolen auto parts.

"I don't believe for one second Roszko was inside the hut when he opened fire," the source said. "It doesn't make sense, Roszko practised shooting all around his property and he wouldn't take a position in a building where he could be trapped."

The source said Roszko managed to kill or severely wound all four officers during his opening salvo. "He probably started taking them into the Quonset so arriving members wouldn't see them," he said.

It was when he had the bodies inside the shed that the source said he believes Roszko shot them again. "He was giving them the coup de grace to make sure they were dead."

While Roszko was shooting inside the shed, the source believes two arriving officers heard the big assault rifle. "Roszko then opened fire on them, too," said the source.

One of the arriving officers managed to pull his weapon and empty his clip in Roszko's direction. Sources said the crazed gunman was hit at least twice, once in the leg and again in the abdomen.

When the two officers retreated to get help, Roszko turned the weapon on himself.

In a report filed by CBC News, the brother of James Roszko said he wants to meet with the families of the slain Mounties and discuss ways to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring.


John Roszko has written condolence letters to the families of the four constables who were shot to death by his brother, saying he wanted them to know that "we're going to apply all our efforts to see that something good comes of all this."


"Mr. Gordon called me from Red Deer and let me know there was no animosity against us." He said he also heard from Myrol's uncle, saying "we tried to make sense out of the situation."


John Roszko attended the memorial for the officers last week, and wanted to go to their funerals but said he didn't think he could contain his emotions.


Roszko, whose own son is a member of the Edmonton Police Service, said the lack of funding to prosecute cases has allowed people like his brother to run free when they should have been in prison.


Roszko said he hasn't grieved for his brother with whom he had an estranged relationship. "I haven't even thought about him much. I haven't seen him for 10 years. He never was much of a brother to most of us. I don't know, it would be like mourning a stranger."


Tuesday, March 15, 2005

The question of how James Roszko may have been able to return to his property undetected may have been answered. In a report as revelatory as the March 14 Edmonton Sun story, radio station 630 CHED quoted police sources as saying investigators believe that Roszko used a sheet as camouflage as he sneaked through snow to reach the Quonset hut, and had socks over his boots to muffle sound and cover his tracks.


The radio station went on to report that once inside the hut, Roszko, armed himself with an assault rifle, a hunting rifle and a pistol, sprung from hiding and killed the four constables in a matter of seconds.


At about that time, two Auto Theft investigators arrived on scene. One of the officers, a member of the elite RCMP Emergency Response Team and a crack shot, engaged Roszko and fired a volley of shots when the gunman came outside.


According to CHED, one bullet hit a pistol Roszko had tucked in his pants, another hit the stock of the assault rifle and two bullets hit the man in the groin area. Roszko then stumbled back into the hut and killed himself. Under the dirt floor of the hut investigators found a hidden compartment they believe was used to store weapons.


Cpl. Wayne Oakes, the RCMP's spokesperson in Alberta, would not confirm nor deny details in the report, but added that a statement containing new and additional information would be released Wednesday, March 16.


The last memorial for the four officers slain March 3rd took place in Mayerthorpe, Alberta. A gathering in number nearly double the town's population of 1,500 were accommodated in three schools connected by video. For more about this final tribute, visit the Last Link RCMP Farewell page.


Wednesday, March 16, 2005

A previously announced RCMP update of events did not take place. No indication was given as to why the report was not made, nor was there word of when the update would take place.


Thursday, March 17, 2005

The RCMP have still not released an update concerning the investigation of events at Rochfort Bridge. Media coverage suggest the police are 'pleading' and are 'desperate' for information, particularly concerning Roszko's movements the evening of Wednesday, March 2nd. Roszko was last seen driving off his property in a 2005 white Ford pickup truck. Earlier reports suggest a brief police chase took place, and that Roszko's truck was found 24 kilometres from his farm. The RCMP have yet to determine how Roszko made his way from where his truck was found back to his farm.


CFRN TV, in a report broadcast Thursday, asserts the truck was found at the home of Roszko's aunt. In attempting an interview with the property's owner, the station's reporter was warned off the premises. CFRN also interviewed a man, identified as Roszko's uncle, placing padlocks on gates at the farm where the shootings took place. He too offered no comment, asking the reporter to leave.


Additional media reports suggest a possible accomplice might be scaring witnesses from coming forward. The police have been conducting interviews with anyone who knew Roszko and asking them to account for their whereabouts between March 2 and March 3. The Globe and Mail newspaper has quoted a a man and his wife who said police drove them to Roszko's farm this week. Investigators asked the man to point out where a 45-gallon drum, in which Roszko a dozen years earlier had threatened to dump the man's body, was buried. The investigators also asked the man to prove he didn't drive Roszko back to the farm.


The search of the farm has concluded. Most of Alberta was blanketed by several inches of snow in the last 36 hours, and the once barren fields are now obscurred. Responding to rumours of tunnels, RCMP Corporal Wayne Oakes said "Our investigation failed to yield any signs of tunnels." With regard to rumours that crosses were found on the property that either marked graves or were inscribed with names of people -- including a local police officer who Roszko hated, Oakes responded "There have been no bodies and no crosses."



Monday, March 21, 2005

RCMP held a press conference at their K Division headquarters in Edmonton and issued the following statement of events, reprinted as issued:

March 02, 2005

mid pm
Two Bailiffs attended the James ROSZKO property to execute a civil order to seize a Ford truck.

03:30 pm
While en route to the property the Bailiffs contacted Mayerthorpe Detachment requesting assistance for the purpose of ” Keeping the Peace.” The call was received and handled by a detachment supervisor.

When Bailiffs arrived at the property they found the gate to be locked. The horn was sounded to gain Mr. ROSZKO’s attention. A male believed to be Mr. ROSZKO is observed departing the property driving a white pick-up truck, north on Range Road 80.

05:30 pm
Mayerthorpe members were briefed by a Bailiff while en route to the property. The officers are stopped by five (5) people on horse back who report being spooked by a lone male in a white truck, driving erratically. The timing, location and description are consistent with Mr. ROSZKO’s departure.

Cpl. MARTIN along with three other members from Mayerthorpe Detachment arrived at the ROSZKO property.

Bailiffs acting on the authority of their Order proceed to search the property for the property to be seized as it was not certain what vehicle ROSZKO left in.

When entry was gained to the Quonset, they discovered what appeared to be an automotive chop-shop. The inside of the Quonset smelled of marihuana, produced by a marihuana grow-operation, also found inside.

Additional support from Mayerthorpe and Whitecourt Detachments was brought in to secure the scene while a Criminal Code and Controlled Drug and Substances Act Search Warrant was processed.

The property was secured while officers prepared and processed search warrant documents.

06:30 pm
Bailiffs posted a copy of their seizure notice on the property and left. This ended their involvement.

07:55 pm
Mayerthorpe Detachment received the Search Warrant, endorsed by a Justice of the Peace. They were authorized to search from 8:00 pm on March 02 through to 8:00 pm on March 03, 2005.

Cpl. MARTIN contacted the NCO i/c RCMP Edmonton Auto Theft Unit. It was agreed Auto Theft would attend the following day to work in daylight conditions. The situation was deemed to be within the capabilities of the Mayerthorpe Detachment General Duty members.

Strategic planning and assessments were conducted involving members who were familiar with Mr. ROSZKO, and the area. The process included; clearing buildings, the actual search and police officer safety.

Patrols were made throughout the area in an attempt to locate Mr. ROSZKO or his truck. One possible sighting turned out to be the wrong vehicle. A “ Be On The Lookout For (BOLF) ” had been issued through the RCMP Edmonton Operational Communications Center.

08:40 pm
Cpl. MARTIN arrived at the ROSZKO property with the Search Warrant, assisted by six (6) other members.

09:15 pm
A call was placed to Sgt. PINDER, Mayerthorpe Detachment Commander. Sgt. PINDER was briefed on the file and developments. He then placed himself back on duty.

10:00 pm
Sgt. PINDER attended the ROSZKO property.

11:30 pm
RCMP - Edmonton Police Service “ Green Team “ attended and assisted in the search operation. A tow truck from Mayerthorpe attended to assist with some of the automotive seizures.

Edson Forensic Identification member attended and assisted until 2:30 am.

Throughout the evening there were several unconfirmed sightings of ROSZKO’s vehicle in the Mayerthorpe area. To ensure the safety of the tow truck operator, a member was assigned to provide a police escort.

During the search, ammunition was found which was also factored into the assessment process and decisions made respecting who would guard the property.

Sgt. PINDER and Cpl. MARTIN discussed security and safety precautions with the members on site.

Cst. GORDON and Cst. JOHNSTON were recalled to guard the scene. Cst. JOHNSTON’ s vehicle contained a loaded detachment .308 caliber rifle and Cst. GORDON’s vehicle contained a loaded detachment 12 gauge shotgun. Both members were in uniform and carried sidearms.

Radio checks were made with the members throughout their shift.

3:30-4:00 am
Cpl. MARTIN and the Green Team departed the property having seized approximately 280 marihuana plants.

March 03, 2005

08:00 am
Two Edmonton Auto Theft members departed for the ROSZKO property.

09:05 am
Cpl. MARTIN checked in with members at the scene who advised there had not been any sightings of ROSZKO during their shift.

Cst. SCHIEMANN, who was at the detachment, was preparing to go to Edmonton to purchase work related equipment and supplies. As it is generally inappropriate to shop in uniform, his supervisor approved civilian dress for these duties. He was on duty and on shift at the time.

Another member was scheduled to drive Cst. MYROL to the scene to relieve Cst. GORDON. That member was called back to Whitecourt at the last minute so Cst. SCHIEMANN volunteered to drive Cst. MYROL to the ROSZKO property.

09:10 am
Cst. SCHIEMANN departed Mayerthorpe Detachment, driving Cst. MYROL to the scene. Cpl. MARTIN was preparing to depart at the same time when discussions arose concerning the two (2) dogs at the ROSZKO property. He was further delayed by a phone call from the Green Team. While en route, Cpl. MARTIN heard on the radio that Auto Theft was just arriving. Cpl. WHIPPLE also departed Mayerthorpe Detachment to assist Cpl. MARTIN with the ongoing search. At this point, Constables’ SCHIEMANN and MYROL were 10 to 15 minutes ahead of Corporals’ MARTIN and WHIPPLE.

When the two Auto Theft members arrived, they were armed and in plain clothes. They noted two members on top of a shed and the other two watching from below, a short distance from the Quonset. After administering a sedative to dogs penned in the shed the officers proceeded to the Quonset.

The four members on scene; Constables GORDON, JOHNSTON, MYROL and SCHIEMANN, then were observed walking east along the south side of the Quonset until they entered, as noted by the Auto Theft members, who were readying their equipment and preparing to put on coveralls.

Moments after the four (4) constables entered the Quonset, gun fire was heard from inside. Cst. VIGOR, also a member of the Emergency Response Team, yelled out to his partner and began to proceed towards the front of the structure.

Intense follow-up forensic examination and testing will be required to determine exactly what happened inside the Quonset.

As Cst. VIGOR neared the Police cars parked close to the front of the Quonset, he observed a male, later identified as James ROSZKO, exit. Mr. ROSZKO had in his possession; a Heckler and Koch Model .308 cal. assault rifle with a 20 round magazine, a semi-automatic pistol in his waist band and another long barrel firearm slung over his shoulder.

Mr. ROSZKO fired rounds at Cst. VIGOR, narrowly missing him, however striking the parked police car. Cst. VIGOR fired rounds at Mr. ROSZKO who was observed to re-enter the Quonset. The second Auto Theft member used his vehicle to provide cover for Cst. VIGOR who immediately called for back-up as both members repositioned themselves.

Due to lighting and positioning, the Auto Theft members were not able to see inside the building. Efforts to communicate with the officers or suspect inside were met with no response.

Cpl MARTIN, upon hearing the call for back-up, notified neighbouring detachments. As officers arrived they secured the area.

10:19 am
A call was received for the Edmonton Emergency Response Team to deploy. At this time, officers at the scene believe one member inside the Quonset was down. The whereabouts or status of the other three (3) members and Mr. ROSZKO was unknown.

In addition to the Emergency Response Team (ERT), additional resources were deployed including; Police Service Dog, Explosive Disposal Unit, Air Service provided by Edmonton Police Service’s Air One, STARS Air Ambulance and the Red Deer Emergency Response Team.

While en route the ERT Commander obtained authority to request armored vehicles be dispatched by the Department of National Defense, Edmonton. Three (3) vehicles, including an armored ambulance were dispatched.

As resources arrived, they were assigned appropriate areas of responsibility.

At about 2:00 pm, members from the Explosive Disposal Unit deployed their Remote Mechanical Investigator - a robot, to enter and assess the inside of the Quonset.

02:15 pm
The command was given for ERT to enter the Quonset. The plan was to move the members out of the Quonset for possible medical attention. At this point, the situation was treated as unsafe until determined to be secure. The scene was subsequently secured with no evidence of any other persons being involved.

The entire scene was ordered locked down and “K” Division RCMP Major Crimes were called in to conduct the investigation.

Major Crimes and General Investigation members were dispatched from Edmonton and Calgary.

To provide investigative assistance and independent oversight, a senior RCMP officer from British Columbia was tasked to take the lead on this investigation, assisted by a team from the BC (“E” Division) Major Crimes Unit.

Forensic Identification Specialists were dispatched from Edmonton, Winnipeg, Regina and Halifax.

Firearms in possession of James ROSZKO:
1) Heckler & Koch, Model 91, .308 calibre semi / fully - automatic rifle with 20 round detachable magazine.
2) 9mm, semi-automatic pistol.
3) A third firearm.

Qualification of Rumors:
Our members were not shot during two separate time periods.
Our members were not shot outside the Quonset and then dragged back inside by Mr. Roszko.
Crosses on the property do not mark graves.
No bodies are known to be buried on the ROSZKO property.
No charges have been laid as a result of this incident / investigation.

At a brief question period following the presentation of the statement, RCMP Supt. Marty Cheliak wouldn't address earlier reports that Roszko had used a white sheet as camouflage to sneak back onto his property. Police would not say whether the Heckler & Koch was set up to fire in a fully automatic, or rapid-fire mode. "Intense follow-up forensic examination and testing will be required to determine exactly what occurred inside the Quonset," Cheliak said.


Cheliak said that contrary to several media reports, Constable Schiemann was on duty that morning, but was not scheduled to be at the farm and he wasn't wearing his uniform or carrying his gun. Another RCMP officer was scheduled to drive Constable Myrol to the Roszko farm, but at the last minute, the first officer was called back to the office, "so Constable Schiemann volunteered to drive Constable Myrol to the Roszko property."


Schiemann was not in uniform because he had been headed to buy supplies for the detachment. Because Mounties don't generally shop in uniform the young constable had been granted special permission to wear civilian clothes that day. The other officers were armed with handguns, however, their loaded rifles were in their police vehicles at the time of the shootings.


Most of Roszko's guns had been smuggled into Canada illegally from the United States. RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli has scheduled a news conference in Ottawa Tuesday to discuss the investigation into the deaths of the constables. Cheliak thanked the public for its outpouring of support and said the complete investigation could take months.


Alberta Justice announced that it would examine why numerous charges laid against Roszko during his lifetime never went anywhere. A spokesman for the Justice Department said it has launched a review of criminal proceedings involving Roszko.


Tuesday, March 22, 2005

"An ordinary and manageable police investigation took a random and unexpected turn to the unmanageable and tragic. There is no possible way to plan for or manage the insane behaviours of an individual who has crossed the line from criminal to stalker, from suspect to enemy."


Those were the words from RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli as he spoke at a press conference held Tuesday in Ottawa. Instead, Zaccardelli suggested that attention should be shifted from the actions of police to those of the judicial system.


"There are people out there that could potentially cause harm and we know about them. But there are laws and procedures that we have to follow in dealing with them. I think we have to examine them and be ready to possibly recommend some changes," Zaccardelli stated.


Zaccardelli called on the judicial system to re-examine how it handled Roszko, a convicted sex offender who had several other serious charges against him dropped over the years. Former RCMP officer Kim Connell, now deputy mayor of Mayerthorpe, says the law should crack down on thugs like Roszko. "You know, when these people are convicted of these serious offences, put them in jail. Keep them there," said Connell.


Zaccardelli's comments came a day after the RCMP in Alberta updated the public on their investigation. Zaccardelli said he believes the officers involved in the initial investigation had the situation under control and made an appropriate threat assessment. He said an RCMP officer who grew up with Roszko had been brought in to help officers gauge how to deal with him.


"Based on all the information we had, knowing the history, that we had dealt with that person, everyone took appropriate precautions," Zaccardelli said. "There is no reason to question any decision, any threat assessment made as the issue evolved."


Zaccardelli said police are still trying to determine how Roszko got back to the farm, and whether anyone helped him. Monday, police wouldn't comment on reports that he had used a white sheet as camouflage to sneak back onto his property.


Friday, April 1, 2005

RCMP Corporal Wayne Oakes presented a brief update on the investigation of weapons used by Roszko. Oakes said the assault style rifle, a Heckler & Koch model 91 .308 calibre, was only capable of a semi-automatic firing pattern and could not be switched from one mode to another. The weapon had never been modified from its original semi-automatic design.


The RCMP also stated ranking members would meet next week to discuss releasing a video of the March 10th memorial. The video, which would probably be released on DVD format, is just in the discussion stage, said Oakes. "There are some questions about intellectual property and other issues that will be discussed April 5," he said. “If the memorial video comes to fruition, possible plans for the monies raised from it could include a fund set up for families of victims of violent crimes.”


Tuesday, May 10, 2005

RCMP pin

In memory of the four RCMP officers who died in the line of duty, the Always Remembered Memorial Fund has been set up to aid the families of the slain officers. Doug Winkleman, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stationed in Edmonton, and the Mounted Police Foundation have developed and designed a limited edition memorial pin. Proceeds from the sale of the pin will be committed to setting up bursaries and scholarships.


Tuesday, June 21, 2005

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported it had obtained a copy of the autopsy report for James Roszko, detailing the last moments of his life and shedding some light on the tactics he used to ambush four RCMP officers on his farm.


After being shot twice by officers, in the hand and the thigh, Roszko shot himself with a prohibited semi-automatic assault rifle, putting a bullet near his heart. Roszko's brother John said "He wasn't about to give police the credit for taking his life, so that's probably why he took it himself."


For more details about the autopsy and lengths taken during the ambush, visit the Last Link James Roszko page.


Thursday, October 6, 2005

An Alberta Justice investigation into the criminal past of James Roszko showed that despite his lengthy record of convictions and charges he never met the criteria to be declared a "dangerous offender." For more about the report visit the James Roszko page.


Monday, October 31, 2005

After legal presentations made by the CBC and the Edmonton Journal, court documents concerning the events near Mayerthorpe, Alberta were made public on October 31st, 2005. The unsealed documents provided additional insights into what took place in the hours before the deaths of four members of the RCMP -- while putting the investigating team on the defensive.


What came out of the 237 pages of investigative materials released was James Roszko's concern for the truck that was about to repossessed, calls he made to family and friends, and the suggestion that he had an accomplice in the tragedy that resulted in four lives lost.


The documents released say Roszko called his aunt twice the afternoon of March 2nd, looking for his mother, Stephanie Fifield, to ask her that he be allowed to store his truck at his aunt's residence. The aunt told police she woke up the next morning to find Roszko's truck but not her nephew.


Roszko made a series of calls to a Shawn Hennessey who was thought to be selling the marijuana Roszko was growing on his farm. Search warrants described Hennessey as a "party to the offence of murder through counselling, procuring, inciting, aiding and abetting." Roszko called Hennessey five times to ask whether he could leave his vehicle on Hennessey's property in Barrhead. Roszko showed up at Hennessey's property but was turned away by his wife. However, several calls to Fifield came from the Hennessey residence.


A former employee at the Barrhead Kal-Tire shop where Hennessey works, Aaron Burdek, had his truck seized by the RCMP in Grande Prairie and certain items related to the Mayerthorpe events were confiscated.


When contacted by CBC News, Hennessey said he had no comment and that his relationship with Roszko was "none of your business." Roszko's mother stated to police that Hennessey and her son were involved in a marijuana grow operation, and that Roszko once asked for her assistance with "cleaning" the plants.


When Roszko finally spoke to his mother, he stated that he had made a will and they should pray for him.


The James Roszko farmSpeculation remains that someone helped Roszko get back to his farm after leaving his truck at his aunt's property, a distance of about 35 kilometres.


The documents also unveiled that Rozsko was carrying three guns when he crept back onto his property early the next morning: an automatic rifle found beside him, a .300 magnum rifle and a Beretta handgun in his waist belt. One of the three guns belonged to the Shawn Hennessey's grandfather, who told police it had been missing for four months. Roszko was under court order not to possess any guns.


Roszko also had in his possession handwritten personal details of RCMP personnel in the nearby Mayerthorpe, Whitecourt and Evansburg detachments (including the call signs and cellphone numbers of individual RCMP cruisers), 3 police scanners, at least 12 firearms, a cross bow, many boxes of ammunition, shell casings, bullet fragments, pornography, handcuffs, pepper spray and books on witchcraft, dreams and satanism. Fragments of skull, hair and scalp were also collected at Roszko's farm, but the warrants did not identify which bodies they came from.


RCMP Inspector Gary BrineAt a press conference held on the 31st, RCMP Inspector Gary Brine fielded questions from the media in connection with the court's release of the investigative materials used in the case. He did not elaborate on what was contained in the documents.


When asked if they were seeking the accomplice suggested in the released documents, Brine responded that the RCMP may or may not be widening their investigation. Their primary concern, he said, was to preserve the integrity of the investigation.


"Some of the information may bring unwanted and unnecessary attention to some who were involved in our investigation," Brine said. "If we can't hold back certain information about our strategy, we've lost the ability to investigate the possible involvement of others in the community." Eight members are continuing to work on the case.


The decision to release court documents during an active investigation was a first in Alberta legal history.




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