Four officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were killed while investigating an illegal marijuana farm, in what is the worst single case of police deaths in Canada in 120 years.
RCMP spokesman Corporal Wayne Oakes said the four officers were at a Quonset hut on a farm near the village of Rochfort Bridge in northwestern Alberta on Thursday when they were shot by a suspect, who was also found in the shed. A government source told The Canadian Press news agency that the suspect later killed himself after shooting the officers.
"It's my sad duty to inform you that four members of the RCMP were killed today in the line of duty -- four brave, young members," said Bill Sweeney, commanding officer of the RCMP in Alberta.
"The loss of four police officers is unprecedented in recent history," Sweeney said. "I'm told you have to go back to about 1885 in the RCMP history during the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude."
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan held a news conference to say she would consider tougher penalties for growers in the proposed marijuana decriminalization bill. Parliament is preparing to debate a resolution that asserts that legalizing pot would weaken the activities of drug dealers and organized crime.
Prime Minister Paul Martin called it an act of "brutality" and offered his condolences to the families of the slain officers.
Sweeney said he couldn't give details on what happened until all the facts were gathered.
There had been confusion all day about the fate of the officers after the first reports that shots were fired at a farm near Rochfort Bridge, a village of about 60 people.
Cenaiko had first told reporters that four officers were not responding to their radios after having gone to investigate suspected illegal activities on the farm. Sergeant Rick Oncescu of the Calgary RCMP said two SWAT teams were called into the area and Mounties from surrounding jurisdictions also responded.
Major Scott Lundy, a spokesman for Edmonton Garrison, said the military received a request just after 12:30pm from the RCMP for assistance. He said two armored personnel carriers, an ambulance and about 20 military personnel were dispatched from the military base.
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