4 police officers killed in grow-op raid.

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1109977760918_105386960?hub=topstories



A day after four of its members were shot and killed during a marijuana grow-op raid on an Alberta farm, the RCMP is fending off questions about whether the officers were properly equipped.

The slain officers, wearing soft body armour and equipped with handguns, were up against a suspect carrying a rapid fire, high-powered rifle.

During a Friday afternoon press conference, RCMP Supt. Marty Cheliak said "we don't have any other armour available to us . . . other than the soft body armour."

Asked if this was an issue, Cheliak replied "no," but conceded that the soft armour is inadequate protection against a weapon as powerful as the one the suspect was carrying.

RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the RCMP is equipped with heavier protective gear and powerful weapons such as .308 caliber rifles and 12 gauge shotguns, but that those arms are only used in circumstances that are "justified."

When asked if Thursday's scenario could have called for the use of such arms, Oakes replied, "Not at the onset."

He added that the armour the Mounties wore on that fateful Thursday would protect them from small arms fire, and from .22 caliber rifles and shotguns, depending on the range, "But when you get much beyond that . . in order for an officer to have body armour protect them against the type of firearms that was involved there, we would be totally immobile."

Gunman a 'walking time bomb'

Police have identified James Roszko as the gunman, who died from what's believed to be self inflicted gunshot wounds.

Court documents show Roszko, 46, had a long criminal history including impersonating a police officer, sexual assault, unlawful confinement, obstruction of justice, and assault with a weapon, to name a few.

He's been described by the community and family members as a "devil" and a "walking time bomb."

Roszko's mother, Stephanie Fifield, told CTV News on Friday that it wasn't the grow operation that first brought the RCMP to the farm, but a dispute over a pickup truck.

Roszko had purchased the new Ford truck which he kept inside the Quonset hut. Fifield said her son discovered a dented tailgate, and took the issue up with the dealer.

"They were going to fix it, but they wouldn't put an endgate on it," said Fifield. "So (James) said 'OK, I won't bother putting in any more payments.'" She said the police were then sent in to take the truck from her son.

The RCMP confirmed that the first officers on the scene were armed with a court order to repossess the truck, and were only acting as backup for the sheriff's office.

"The civil order wasn't necessarily for stolen property. It was to recover property," said Oakes.

But when the two officers entered the large metal Quonset hut on Wednesday, they stumbled upon the grow-op and stolen property.

They then left the premises and obtained a search warrant, and at 4:30 a.m. MT Thursday, two officers entered the property to secure it.

Just before 9 a.m. M.T., they were joined by two other officers, as well as two members of the Edmonton RCMP auto theft unit at 9:15 a.m. M.T.

Then, suddenly, shots were fired inside the hut. Officers remaining on the road took cover.

By the time the shots died down, none of the police on the property were responding to their radios.

And about five hours after the shots were fired, at 2:18 p.m. MT, an RCMP team burst onto the property and found the bodies of four dead officers, along with that of Roszko.

In addressing the time lag between the shooting and the discovery of the bodies, the RCMP said the emergency response team had to treat the site as a lethal environment until it could be declared safe.

Roszko was the youngest in a large family, and his troubled life led others in the family to stay away from him.

Roszko's father Bill described his son as "a wicked devil" who had a lifetime hatred for police. He said James had an angry streak as far back as he can remember.

"Because of the drugs, you know, and the bad company with bad boys," he told CTV's Edmonton affiliate CFRN.

"I don't want to have him as my son for what he was like and the way things ended up. He is not my son."

James's sister Josephine, who identified his body, said her brother wasn't the monster others believed him to be. "He had a good heart and he never hurt us in any way," she told CFRN.

Although sources say Roszko shot himself, Cheliak says a medical examiner will determine how he died.

He says the police investigation will take several days as they use forensic experts at the scene, talk to witnesses and look into the background of the gunman.

 

No, this guy was fucking crazy.

You can't blame prohabition on this once you've heard the whole story about this guy. This guy is about as gun crazy cop hating as you can get, no one would kill 4 cops a day after their cop being raided. I think the circumstances were perfect for him becasue their were 4 cops their with no back up just waiting their for the grower to show.



It's really sad. One cop was only on the force for 2 weeks. Now this guy probably fucked up the Bill that might have made Canada annother country with the de-criminalization of Marijuana. FUCK HIM AND DAMN HIM

 

The DEA and agencies like it used this as an example to show how serious the marijuana grow-op problem really is. They will tighten the boarders and do changes like that becasue of one crazy guy, but still with thousands of gun deaths in the US every year, you can go to your local pawn shop and pick up a high powered assult rifle and then go to the local Walmart and stock up on ammo for your rampage.


I think your gun laws are way to relaxed if anyone can go and pick up a gun and ammo and over power a few squad cars.