STORYTIME TAPESTRY

Special Treat

March 8, 2005

Follow up on the news that has shocked all of Canada

By Ellie Braun Haley

They, the FOUR RCMP POLICE OFFICERS officers who were killed, were on
their way to an acreage to serve a search warrant in an investigation
regarding a marijuana grow operation.

People in that small community, in northern Alberta (Rochfort Bridge)
knew the 46 year old man who had the illegal marijuana grow operation.
People in that area felt this 46 year old was a mental case and felt he
should have been locked up years ago.

His 80 year old father described his own son as wicked. In fact one
reporter says the father said his son was a wicked devil
who hated all police officers. The trigger happy killer is identified
as Jim Roszko. He had drifted away from CONTACT WITH other family
members

This man, Jim Roszko who had the illegal operation opened fire on the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers with a high powered gun. At this
point the reports are that he killed all four officers and then killed
himself.What we all know for certain is that all five are dead.
So there is no one who can actually say what took place out there. Not
with a certainty!

The news of this incident has rocked the province, AND INDEED ALL OF
CANADA. The area where the event took place is a small farming
community.

The Alberta assistant commissioner said, " I'm told you have to go back
about 1885 in RCMP history and the North West Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude.

One of the RCMP officers who was shot had only been on the force for 14
or fifteen days. His name is Brock Myrol and he had been a student of my husband's at
Red Deer College.

Brock a 29 year old was the second youngest of the four officers
and was likable, studious, considerate, understanding.
He was a young fellow with great potential to contribute to mankind.
Now we'll never see what those contributions would be.
HE died in the line of duty.

The oldest of the officers was only 33 years.
This young man, had entered the service with his twin brother.

These deaths of four police officers has truly hit
the entire province, and yes all of Canada. It is a horrible tragedy.

All day Thursday one 9 year old boy, Connor Price, sat at the
television waiting to hear
the names of those men killed in the shooting.
He had many friends who were police officers because when the Mounties
in his area heard that
Connor needed financial help, nine officers shaved their heads to help
raise the $10,000.
needed to send him and his family to the city of Edmonton where one of
Connors legs was amputated (cancer)
This all took place shortly before Christmas.

Connor's dad said the goodness of the RCMP officers
was a Godsend because Mr. Price had not worked in seven months.

The entire area is devastated over the deaths of these fine young men.
They were all involved in sports , helping to coach hockey, basketball
and other sports for the children in the communities.

GOD WATCHES OVER US ALL and surely
He must have cried Thursday as four fine men were cut down.

The story I wrote on the gloves is so inconsequential in the scheme of
things ...
YET every good deed ripples out touching so many and making a
difference in some way and so perhaps the story will be one of the ripples made by that
particular police officer, showing the goodnes of a man in uniform.

Pray please for the families. (including the father and family of the
man who caused all this pain, for those families must also be in great pain for what their family
member has done).
MY OWN YOUNGER BROTHER WAS AN RCMP OFFICER FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
I am sure that this must hit so close to home for all police AND FOR
THEIR FAMILIES.

Ellie Braun Haley

Shaley @telusplanet.net