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Four RCMP officers killed in Mayerthorpe

Broadcast Date: March 4, 2005

The nation is still in shock. Yesterday, four RCMP officers were killed during a raid on a farm in Mayerthorpe, Alta. "This has been a day of many questions, and very few answers," says host Allison Smith in this March 4, 2005 clip from The National. This report takes an in-depth look at the officers killed, the impact the shooting has had on the small town of Mayerthorpe, and the suspected shooter, James Roszko - a man whose own father describes as the devil.

Four RCMP officers killed in Mayerthorpe

• James Roszko shot and killed himself after shooting the four RCMP officers. For more background on Roszko and his criminal background, see the CBCNews.ca backgrounder The Suspect: Jim Roszko.

• For more information on all the officers killed, see the CBCNews.ca backgrounder RCMP officers killed in Rochfort Bridge.

• Although Roszko, the shooter, was dead, two men were charged in 2007 as accessories to the murders. Shawn Hennessey and Dennis Cheeseman admitted they gave Roszko a rifle and drove him to his farm in the early hours of March 3, 2005. In January 2009, Hennessey and Cheeseman were sentenced to 15 years and 12 years in prison, respectively. But because the judge gave the men credit for pleading guilty and for time already spent in custody, Cheeseman's sentence was reduced to seven years and two months, and Hennessey's was reduced to 10 years and four months.

Four RCMP officers killed in Mayerthorpe

Medium: Television

Program: The National

Broadcast Date: March 4, 2005

Guest(s): Marty Cheliak, Tracy Eisert, Wayne Oakes, William Roszko

Host: Alison Smith
Reporter: Rick Boguski

Duration: 12:50

Last updated:
June 26, 2009