MAYERTHORPE, Alta. — Military jets performed a fly-by as residents, dignitaries and current and former Mounties gathered under sunny skies Monday to remember four officers ambushed and killed 20 years earlier to the day.
The ceremony at Mayerthorpe’s Fallen Four Memorial Park marked the sombre milestone anniversary of March 3, 2005.
On that day, Mounties Peter Schiemann, Leo Johnston, Anthony Gordon and Brock Myrol were called to search a farm near the town following reports of a marijuana grow-op and stolen vehicle chop shop.
They were ambushed and gunned down by James Roszko, who then shot and killed himself. RCMP say the day was one of the most tragic in its history and that the legacy of the four live on in every officer who serves.
Mayerthorpe Mayor Janet Jabush, in an interview, said she was working as a local real estate agent at the time, getting ready to open a satellite office when she saw five RCMP cruisers whiz past her on the highway.
"There was some sketchy news on the radio at that point that something was going down just outside of town," Jabush said.
The military was called in. So was the SWAT team. But before long, both were told to stand down.
"Your brain (thinks) they've either resolved the situation or something really bad has happened," Jabush said. "Then you hear afterwards that no, in fact, they didn't figure it out. Something really bad did happen."
Jabush said the town's tight-knit residents will never forget that day. Being so close helped them through their grief, she said.
She said the 20 years after the tragic day has changed the town. People have come and gone through the years, she said, but that tight-knit feeling grew as a result of the killings.
"People in Mayerthorpe always knew they could rely on each other," Jabush said. "I just don't know that any of them would ever have predicted they'd have to rely on each other through something so horrific."
Moving ahead, Jabush said the town's legacy has been shrouded by the shooting, but she wants to change that as she gears up to run for her third term as an elected official there.
"If you were out in the big world and mentioned Mayerthorpe, they knew about it because those four cops were killed there," she said.
"I don't want that to be the first thought in people's minds because there's so much more to Mayerthorpe than just that."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2025.
— By Aaron Sousa in Edmonton.
The Canadian Press
