They say time heals all wounds, but the ones left by the slaying of four Mayerthorpe RCMP officers still remains.
It’s been 10 years since James Roszko shot and killed RCMP Constables, Leo Johnston, Peter Schiemann, Anthony Gordon, and Brock Myrol, and still their memory lives on.
A candlelight memorial service was held at Fallen Four Memorial Park on March 3 as a way of marking the 10-year anniversary. Over 150 people circled the memorial, with over 100 candles lighting the darkening sky.
Colette McKillop, Director of the Fallen Four Memorial Park Society, said the memorial is hosted every year.
“This really isn’t anything new for us,” she said. “We have a candlelight memorial every year for the fallen officers.”
McKillop added that when brainstorming ideas on how to mark the 10-year anniversary they decided to keep things simple.
“After tossing around a few different ideas, we just decided to keep it simple, just the way we have always had it,” McKillop said.
For some, the memories of that day are just below the surface.
“It depends on who you’re talking to,” McKillop said. “It’s been 10 years, and it doesn’t seem like it’s been 10 years to some people, some don’t know where the time went, and some it feels like just yesterday, it really depends on who you’re talking to, and how close they were to the event.”
Margaret Thibault was working for victim’s services, and worked hand in hand with the four men.
“She knew them on a personal basis, and their families, so for her it’s just right on the surface,” McKillop said, adding today was about the families.
“Really today we are just thinking about families and how difficult it has been for them for the past 10 years,” McKillop said, adding RCMP officers working the case were also impacted.
“The detachment members that were there, and that were involved in the investigation at the scene of the crime, and how hard it’s been for them to get on with their life because it’s just continual for them,” McKillop said. “We can tell, by just looking and talking to them that it still really affects them deeply.”
The park was built shortly after the tragedy, as a way of recognizing the four officers.
“When the tragedy first started we had such an outpouring from all factions… it was almost like they were waiting to see what we were going to do with this, and we didn’t want this to define our community, or the RCMP and their families,” McKillop said. “We decided we needed some way to pay tribute to the four fallen officers.”
McKillop said the park creates awareness and proves as a reminder of the dangers officers face while on duty.
“They face different dangers, so we needed to create some awareness,” McKillop said.
The candles are used in the ceremony to symbolize one thing, light.
“Where there’s dark we want to bring in light,” McKillop said.
McKillop added that as a society, they reach out to the children of the officers killed.
“We just want to say to them, we did this to pay tribute to their father and the other three officers, and to honour their sacrifice, and we want to keep awareness to the dangers and the sacrifices that the RCMP make,” McKillop said, adding she hopes they will visit the park if they haven’t already.
The Grade 1 students of Elmer Elson Elementary School performed the song Love Can Build A Bridge as part of the ceremony, with the students, now in Grade 11, who performed during the first memorial ceremony 10 years ago.
On March 3, 2005, Roszko hid in a quonset shed on his property as four RCMP officers kept watch over the marijuana grow-op and chop shop discovered the day before.
The four officers entered the shed, where Roszko was waiting in the dark with a gun. Roszko shot and killed all four men before exiting the shed. He engaged with two officers outside of the quonset, then returned to the shed where he shot himself.
Dennis Cheeseman and Shawn Hennessey were both charged for their involvement in the case. The two men provided Roszko a ride to his property and a gun. Neither men had informed the RCMP Roszko was on the property, or that he was armed.
Cheeseman was sentenced to seven years on four counts of manslaughter. Hennessey was sentenced to 10 years for helping Roszko.
Hennessey is currently on day parole. Cheeseman was granted statutory release in 2013 after serving two-thirds of his sentence.
