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MONCTON, N.B. — A timeline of events in the fatal shootings of three RCMP officers in Moncton, N.B., last year:
Wednesday, June 4:
7:18 p.m. to 8:13 p.m. — The RCMP receive a 911 call reporting a male wearing camouflage clothing has been seen walking down the middle of Pioneer Avenue, carrying two long guns and bullets. Justin Bourque uses a Poly Technologies Model M305, 308-calibre Winchester semi-automatic rifle to shoot five RCMP officers responding to the complaint.
9:15 p.m. — Via Twitter, the RCMP tells residents in the area to remain inside as they investigate the shootings.
10:30 p.m. — The RCMP say they are searching for Bourque and release a picture of him on Twitter dressed in camouflage clothing and carrying two rifles.
11 p.m. — Police confirm that three officers have died as a result of gunshot wounds and two others are in hospital being treated for non life-threatening injuries.
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Thursday, June 5:
6:30 a.m. — Police issue a map showing a large section of northwest Moncton where they want residents to remain indoors and lock their doors.
11:15 a.m. _ The Mounties hold a briefing to update their search for Bourque. Roger Brown, the commanding officer for the RCMP in New Brunswick, says the suspect is “very mobile and still considered very dangerous, armed and dangerous.”
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Friday, June 6:
12:10 a.m. — Bourque is arrested. The RCMP dismantle a cordoned off zone and reopen roads that had been closed. The police later say he was unarmed when arrested without incident, but weapons were found nearby.
8:30 a.m. — The names of the three officers who died are released by the RCMP. They were Const. David Ross, 32, originally of Victoriaville, Que.; Const. Fabrice Georges Gevaudan, 45, originally of Boulogne-Billancourt in France; and Const. Douglas James Larche of Saint John, N.B.
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Tuesday, June 10:
Funeral service is held for Ross, Gevaudan and Larche, preceded by a parade of 2,700 law enforcement officers from across Canada and the United States. Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledges the “searing grief” that has gripped New Brunswick.
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Friday, July 4:
An affidavit signed by Bourque’s father is filed in court saying he did not notice any serious mental or emotional problems with his son until about 18 months ago. The father says in the document that Bourque bought a gun, got kicked out of the family home, ranted against authority and became paranoid.
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Friday, Aug. 8:
Bourque pleads guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. The Crown says Bourque should not be eligible to apply for parole for 75 years on the murder charges, which it will seek in sentencing.
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Monday, Oct. 27:
Bourque’s sentencing hearing listens to a videotape statement he gave to police in which he expresses his dissatisfaction with his job at a distribution warehouse and says he wanted to encourage people to rise up against the “soldiers” that defend federal institutions and protect the rich from the poor.
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Tuesday, Oct. 28:
Justin Bourque apologizes to the families of the Mounties he shot, saying in a quavering voice that the reasons he gave to police for killing three officers and wounding two others were the words of an “arrogant pissant.”
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Friday, Oct. 31:
Judge David Smith of the Court of Queen’s Bench sentences Bourque to 75 years before he can apply for parole.
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Friday, Jan. 16:
A report by a retired RCMP assistant commissioner says the Mounties faced challenges on the night of the shootings that included communicating accurate information, accessing high-powered weaponry and securing hard body armour for officers who responded to the call.
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Thursday, May 14:
The RCMP is charged with four violations of the Canada Labour Code in the deaths of its three officers, alleging the department didn’t provide appropriate weapons and equipment to deal with “active shooter” incidents.
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(Source: RCMP, agreed statement of facts presented at Justin Bourque sentencing hearing, The Canadian Press)
The Canadian Press
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