Mayerthorpe tragedy
Encyclopedia
The Mayerthorpe tragedy occurred on March 3, 2005 on the property of James Roszko 11 km north of Rochfort Bridge
, northwest of Edmonton near the Town of Mayerthorpe, in the Canadian province of Alberta
. With a Heckler & Koch 91
, Roszko shot and killed Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Constable
s Peter Schiemann, Anthony Gordon, Lionide Johnston, and Brock Myrol as the officers were executing a property seizure on the farm. This was the worst one-day loss of life for the RCMP in 100 years.
ed inside a quonset
shed
on the farm. Roszko had returned to the property after getting a ride from Shawn Hennessey and Dennis Cheeseman during the night and laid in wait for an opportunity.
After fatally shooting the four officers, Roszko emerged from the shed and engaged in gunfire with Cpl. Steve Vigor who was a member of the Auto Theft team that had arrived earlier to examine the vehicles on the property. Roszko, wounded during either the initial exchange of gunfire in the quonset or during the exchange with the two officers outside, then retreated into the shed.
After losing radio contact with the officers in the shed, RCMP Emergency Response Teams and an armoured vehicle from the Canadian Forces
' Edmonton Garrison were called in, and the airspace
over the property was closed. The four officers and Roszko were all found fatally shot; it was later determined that Roszko killed all four officers, and then turned his weapon on himself after being wounded by Cpl. Vigor. .
Alberta Justice called a public fatality inquiry into the deaths at Mayerthorpe, which began on January 11. 2011 in Stony Plain Provincial Court.
The Alberta Public Fatalities Act states that inquiries can only occur after all related criminal investigations and judicial proceedings are complete.
Testimony in the first week of the inquiry revealed that the murdered RCMP officers were not inexperienced, as had been widely speculated in the media.
on March 10, 2005 and televised nationally on CBC
. Prime Minister
Paul Martin
and Governor General Adrienne Clarkson
both spoke at the service. Many police officers from Canada and the United States were in attendance.
On May 19, 2005, Queen Elizabeth II
, attended a ceremony in honour of the slain officers at the RCMP Training Academy in Regina
, Saskatchewan
.
The CBC program the fifth estate
also made a documentary about the tragedy
, which first aired on December 7, 2005. The full documentary can be downloaded from the CBC website. Given the ongoing criminal investigation and resulting court proceedings, the RCMP's ability to participate in the documentary was very limited. The guilty pleas of Cheeseman and Hennessey, the Agreed Statement of Facts, the dismissal of the sentence appeals and testimony at the 2011 Public Fatality Inquiry into the murders call a significant amount of the content in the documentary into question.
The Fallen Four Memorial Society was founded to honour the slain policemen. The group initiated the building of the Fallen Four Memorial Park in Mayerthorpe which opened on July 4, 2008.
Also in 2008, a bronze statue was unveiled in Whitecourt in honour of the fallen four. The boots represent those of Constable Gordon who was stationed at Whitecourt.
On October 21, 2011, the Commissioner of the RCMP, William J.S. Elliot, announced that the RCMP officers will have a new weapon at their disposition, the C8 Rifle. One of the main conclusions that lead to this result was the fact that the officers who were shot down did not have the appropriate weapon to face someone with a semi-automatic rifle, as stated in the public inquiry.
man who at the time of the massacre
was operating a hydroponic marijuana grow-op outside of Mayerthorpe, Alberta. According to documents obtained by the CBC's the fifth estate in a court case to have the search warrants made public, police seized seven growing marijuana plants, and 88 harvested plants from the residence, plus a further 192 growing marijuana plants along with growing equipment from the quonset. Roszko was also suspected of various property crimes, which were the main thrust of the investigation prior to the shooting. He had a history of violent and sexual offences. He was prohibited from legally possessing firearms at the time of the tragedy.
Police also found lists containing the names and call signs of RCMP officers from the detachments in Mayerthorpe, Whitecourt
and Evansburg, Alberta
. The lists also contained the cellular numbers assigned to their vehicles.
" and the two accused men appeared in court on July 12. The murder charges against Mr. Hennessey and Cheeseman are controversial because neither man was at the crime scene when the shootings took place. However, in Canada, anyone who is party to the murder of a police officer is automatically charged with first degree murder. On January 19, 2009, Hennessey and Cheeseman pled guilty to four counts of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
According to the Agreed Statement of Facts, signed by Hennessey, Cheeseman and their lawyers, the two men provided James Roszko with a shotgun, they wiped it down for fingerprints and placed it in a pillowcase for Roszko. They also gave Roszko a ride back to the vicinity of his farm. Both men knew that Roszko was well armed and watched him pull his socks over his boots - a tactic employed to mask his footprints in the snow. Both men later admitted that they knew that Roszko had plans to return to his property and harm police. After dropping him off near his farm, Cheeseman suggested to Hennessey that they call police. Hennessey disagreed and the call was not made. The Agreed Statement of Facts is available to the public on the Alberta Justice website.
On January 30, 2009 Hennessey and Cheeseman were sentenced to 15 and 12 years in prison respectively, with credit given for their early guilty plea and for time served. Hennessey will serve approximately 10 years for his role and Cheeseman will serve seven years.Both men appealed their sentences to the Alberta Court of Appeal, which dismissed their appeals and upheld their sentences in September 2010.
On February 10, 2008, CTV aired a feature length made-for-TV movie called "Mayerthorpe".
Toronto musician Ko Kapches
made the Mayerthorpe tragedy the focus of his 2009 song "The Ballad of Jimmy Roscoe."
Rochfort Bridge, Alberta
Rochfort Bridge is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Lac Ste. Anne County. It is located approximately northwest of Edmonton and east of Mayerthorpe....
, northwest of Edmonton near the Town of Mayerthorpe, in the Canadian province of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. With a Heckler & Koch 91
Heckler & Koch G3
The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....
, Roszko shot and killed Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
Constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
s Peter Schiemann, Anthony Gordon, Lionide Johnston, and Brock Myrol as the officers were executing a property seizure on the farm. This was the worst one-day loss of life for the RCMP in 100 years.
The tragedy
Other officers initially went to the farm to assist bailiffs in trying to repossess a truck, but Roszko fled in it. Numerous stolen vehicle parts and a marijuana grow-op were found on the premises. Search warrants were obtained and executed but not before they had searched the farm. Constables Gordon and Johnston were providing scene security. Cst. Schiemann arrived to drop off Cst. Myrol. The four officers were ambushAmbush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ed inside a quonset
Quonset hut
A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semicircular cross section. The design was based on the Nissen hut developed by the British during World War I...
shed
Shed
A shed is typically a simple, single-storey structure in a back garden or on an allotment that is used for storage, hobbies, or as a workshop....
on the farm. Roszko had returned to the property after getting a ride from Shawn Hennessey and Dennis Cheeseman during the night and laid in wait for an opportunity.
After fatally shooting the four officers, Roszko emerged from the shed and engaged in gunfire with Cpl. Steve Vigor who was a member of the Auto Theft team that had arrived earlier to examine the vehicles on the property. Roszko, wounded during either the initial exchange of gunfire in the quonset or during the exchange with the two officers outside, then retreated into the shed.
After losing radio contact with the officers in the shed, RCMP Emergency Response Teams and an armoured vehicle from the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
' Edmonton Garrison were called in, and the airspace
Airspace
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
over the property was closed. The four officers and Roszko were all found fatally shot; it was later determined that Roszko killed all four officers, and then turned his weapon on himself after being wounded by Cpl. Vigor. .
Alberta Justice called a public fatality inquiry into the deaths at Mayerthorpe, which began on January 11. 2011 in Stony Plain Provincial Court.
The Alberta Public Fatalities Act states that inquiries can only occur after all related criminal investigations and judicial proceedings are complete.
Testimony in the first week of the inquiry revealed that the murdered RCMP officers were not inexperienced, as had been widely speculated in the media.
Aftermath
A memorial service for the slain officers was held in EdmontonEdmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
on March 10, 2005 and televised nationally on CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
and Governor General Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation....
both spoke at the service. Many police officers from Canada and the United States were in attendance.
On May 19, 2005, Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, attended a ceremony in honour of the slain officers at the RCMP Training Academy in Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
.
The CBC program the fifth estate
The fifth estate
the fifth estate is a Canadian television newsmagazine, which airs on the English language CBC Television network. The name is a play on the fact that the media are sometimes referred to as the Fourth Estate, and was chosen to highlight the program's determination to go beyond everyday news into...
also made a documentary about the tragedy
Tragedy (event)
A tragedy is an event in which one or more losses, usually of human life, occurs that is viewed as mournful. Such an event is said to be tragic....
, which first aired on December 7, 2005. The full documentary can be downloaded from the CBC website. Given the ongoing criminal investigation and resulting court proceedings, the RCMP's ability to participate in the documentary was very limited. The guilty pleas of Cheeseman and Hennessey, the Agreed Statement of Facts, the dismissal of the sentence appeals and testimony at the 2011 Public Fatality Inquiry into the murders call a significant amount of the content in the documentary into question.
The Fallen Four Memorial Society was founded to honour the slain policemen. The group initiated the building of the Fallen Four Memorial Park in Mayerthorpe which opened on July 4, 2008.
Also in 2008, a bronze statue was unveiled in Whitecourt in honour of the fallen four. The boots represent those of Constable Gordon who was stationed at Whitecourt.
On October 21, 2011, the Commissioner of the RCMP, William J.S. Elliot, announced that the RCMP officers will have a new weapon at their disposition, the C8 Rifle. One of the main conclusions that lead to this result was the fact that the officers who were shot down did not have the appropriate weapon to face someone with a semi-automatic rifle, as stated in the public inquiry.
James Roszko
James Roszko (October 8, 1958 - March 3, 2005) was a CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
man who at the time of the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
was operating a hydroponic marijuana grow-op outside of Mayerthorpe, Alberta. According to documents obtained by the CBC's the fifth estate in a court case to have the search warrants made public, police seized seven growing marijuana plants, and 88 harvested plants from the residence, plus a further 192 growing marijuana plants along with growing equipment from the quonset. Roszko was also suspected of various property crimes, which were the main thrust of the investigation prior to the shooting. He had a history of violent and sexual offences. He was prohibited from legally possessing firearms at the time of the tragedy.
Police also found lists containing the names and call signs of RCMP officers from the detachments in Mayerthorpe, Whitecourt
Whitecourt, Alberta
Whitecourt is a town in Alberta, Canada within Woodlands County. It is located northwest of Edmonton and southeast of Grande Prairie at the junction of Highway 43 and Highway 32 and has an elevation of ....
and Evansburg, Alberta
Evansburg, Alberta
Evansburg is a hamlet in west-central Alberta, Canada, within Yellowhead County. It is located on Highway 16A, approximately west of Edmonton and east of Edson. The hamlet is adjacent to the Pembina River and the Pembina River Provincial Park....
. The lists also contained the cellular numbers assigned to their vehicles.
Charges are laid in 2007
On July 9, 2007, two men, Shawn Hennessey, 28, and Dennis Cheeseman, 23, were charged as parties to the offences committed by James Roszko. In 2006, Mr. Hennessey denied any links to the crime. The RCMP spent more than $2-million investigating the tragedy, using between 40 and 200 officers on the case since 2005. The charges were the result of a controversial type of undercover investigation called "Mr. BigMr. Big (police procedure)
Mr. Big is a covert investigation technique used by undercover police investigators in some parts of Canada and Australia to solve cases for which confessions are considered necessary for successful prosecution...
" and the two accused men appeared in court on July 12. The murder charges against Mr. Hennessey and Cheeseman are controversial because neither man was at the crime scene when the shootings took place. However, in Canada, anyone who is party to the murder of a police officer is automatically charged with first degree murder. On January 19, 2009, Hennessey and Cheeseman pled guilty to four counts of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
According to the Agreed Statement of Facts, signed by Hennessey, Cheeseman and their lawyers, the two men provided James Roszko with a shotgun, they wiped it down for fingerprints and placed it in a pillowcase for Roszko. They also gave Roszko a ride back to the vicinity of his farm. Both men knew that Roszko was well armed and watched him pull his socks over his boots - a tactic employed to mask his footprints in the snow. Both men later admitted that they knew that Roszko had plans to return to his property and harm police. After dropping him off near his farm, Cheeseman suggested to Hennessey that they call police. Hennessey disagreed and the call was not made. The Agreed Statement of Facts is available to the public on the Alberta Justice website.
On January 30, 2009 Hennessey and Cheeseman were sentenced to 15 and 12 years in prison respectively, with credit given for their early guilty plea and for time served. Hennessey will serve approximately 10 years for his role and Cheeseman will serve seven years.Both men appealed their sentences to the Alberta Court of Appeal, which dismissed their appeals and upheld their sentences in September 2010.
In popular culture
Corb Lund referenced this tragedy in a verse of the title track to his album Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!
Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! is the fifth studio album by Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans. It was released on Stony Plain Records on November 13, 2007.-Track listing:All songs written by Corb Lund except where noted....
On February 10, 2008, CTV aired a feature length made-for-TV movie called "Mayerthorpe".
Toronto musician Ko Kapches
KO (musician)
Ko Kapches , better known by the stage name KO , is a Canadian musician whose music is a mix of folk, hip hop, reggae, rock and R&B —a sound which KO refers to as "urban-funk and urban-folk".-Early life and musical career:...
made the Mayerthorpe tragedy the focus of his 2009 song "The Ballad of Jimmy Roscoe."
External links
- CBC News: Records of RCMP shooter paint chilling picture
- CBC News: Suspect in RCMP killings had history of run-ins with police
- CBC News: Indepth: RCMP
- CBC the fifth estate documentary "A Hail of Bullets"
- Fallen Four Society (memorial group) - docudramaDocudramaIn film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
about the tragedy - Racing for Remembrance