Canadian border guard shot near Vancouver: reports

[FishingMOM]

A Canadian border guard has been shot and wounded at the Peace Arch crossing into the U.S. south of Vancouver, reports say.

The Canadian Border Services Agency confirms there has been an emergency incident, but would not confirm that shots were fired.

The reports say the female CBSA officer was shot in the neck by a suspect who then took his own life.

The officer has been airlifted to hospital. Her condition is not known.

Northbound traffic from the U.S. at the Peace Arch has been halted since the incident occurred at about 2 p.m. PT.

More to come

[ice]

Why can't people end there own pathetic existence, and leave innocent people alone.

[.257Weatherby]

Actually fishingmom they shut traffic down in both directions.
Hope it is a minor flesh wound and she makes a full recovery.
I have some past co-workers at that crossing, hope they too are safe tonight.
Rob

[score]

Yes I hope she pulls through. Just wouldn't want that job. And to think, how long has it been since they were allowed to be armed? And yeah, I'm not clear on the pysch. behind the need to harm another before killing oneself.

[James M]

Originally Posted by score

Yes I hope she pulls through. Just wouldn't want that job. And to think, how long has it been since they were allowed to be armed? And yeah, I'm not clear on the pysch. behind the need to harm another before killing oneself.

CBSA are allowed to be armed. For some reason though, only some of them have the training and the one's without are still working....without a sidearm. My old classmate is a CBSA guard in southern Alberta and has been working fulltime for 6 months and is JUST doing his firearm training now.

[sewerrat]

It is all over the news here, We are just staying 1 km from the Peace Arch crossing here in White Rock. The crossing has been shut down in both directions till further notice! Hopefully it will be back open by Thursday as we are wanting to go to Bellingham. All the crossings to the North, like Aldergrove and Huntington will be very backed up.

[heybert]

Can't seem to get any straight answers. News feeds are giving mixed info. Worked that crossing back in the 90's when all we had was a stamp and the 3 D cell maglight. Didn't have protective vests either. Prayers going out to the officer and family.

[FishingMOM]

My cousin Jamie is a guard back in ontario. Been on the job for ages.
So yeah it bugs me when things go sideways at the borders.
Sure hope this female guard is okay. Thoughts and prayers are with her, her family, loved ones and Co-Workers.

The information I posted earlier was the news bulletin I found.

[FishingMOM]

BLAINE, Washington (Reuters) - A gunman in a van shot and critically wounded a Canadian border officer on Tuesday at the main crossing between Washington state and British Columbia, then immediately killed himself, Canadian authorities said.

The shooter, whose vehicle had Washington state license plates, rolled up to a Canadian security booth at the Peace Arch crossing, the busiest in the region, and shot the officer in the neck.

The wounded officer, a woman, was taken by helicopter to a hospital in critical condition, while the gunman was pronounced dead at the scene, said Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman Corporal Bert Paquet.

Authorities said they were still interviewing witnesses and seeking to determine the motive for the shooting.

Investigators have placed a yellow tarp over the van's right front passenger window. They planned to take the van to a forensic examination site, Paquet said.

Canadian Minister of Public Safety Vic Towes said he was "deeply concerned by the news of the shooting."

"My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and colleagues of this Border Service Officer," Towes said in a statement.

Washington state Governor Chris Gregoire said in a statement that she had spoken to the premier of British Columbia and pledged full cooperation as the investigation moved forward.

"Working closely together with British Columbia to protect our border, I consider Canadian officers an extension of our Washington family," she said.

Brian White, a Canadian who had gone to Washington state to buy gasoline and wine and was waiting to recross the border when the shooting happened, said he heard a gunshot.

"It was just a pop, it wasn't very loud at all," he told reporters in remarks carried on the Internet, adding that officers swarmed the vehicle after the shooting.

Northbound traffic into Canada at the crossing was halted after the incident, Canada Border Services Agency spokeswoman Jennifer Bourque said. Southbound lanes into the United States were still open, she said.

The border crossing connects Blaine, Washington, and Surrey, British Columbia, and is on the main highway from Seattle to Vancouver. Also known as the Douglas Crossing, it is the third busiest on the U.S.-Canadian border.

(Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Russ Blinch in Toronto; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Eric Beech)

[Rackmastr]

Originally Posted by James M

CBSA are allowed to be armed. For some reason though, only some of them have the training and the one's without are still working....without a sidearm. My old classmate is a CBSA guard in southern Alberta and has been working fulltime for 6 months and is JUST doing his firearm training now.

They have over 2000 armed, with several to go. The second largest law enforcement agency to be armed in Canada takes some time to arm. Trainers, training facilities, scheduling, all while maintaining border operations and the international flow of goods is a giant undertaking.

It was a project that was projected to take time, and it has. Unfortunately the Harper Government could not switch a light switch and give everyone a firearm. The CBSA training is some of the best in the country and N.A. for firearms use, tactics, and marksmanship skills. Its a high standard that has and does take time.

Thoughts and prayers with the family and co-workers of the officers involved.

[score]

Originally Posted by James M

CBSA are allowed to be armed. For some reason though, only some of them have the training and the one's without are still working....without a sidearm. My old classmate is a CBSA guard in southern Alberta and has been working fulltime for 6 months and is JUST doing his firearm training now.

I did know they were armed now but not the rest. How idiotic a sytem. Thanks for the info.

[score]

Originally Posted by Rackmastr

They have over 2000 armed, with several to go. The second largest law enforcement agency to be armed in Canada takes some time to arm. Trainers, training facilities, scheduling, all while maintaining border operations and the international flow of goods is a giant undertaking.

It was a project that was projected to take time, and it has. Unfortunately the Harper Government could not switch a light switch and give everyone a firearm. The CBSA training is some of the best in the country and N.A. for firearms use, tactics, and marksmanship skills. Its a high standard that has and does take time.

Thoughts and prayers with the family and co-workers of the officers involved.

Prayers for the family indeed. I understand the magnitude of fixing up a flawed system. It was just so darn ridiculous to begin with.

[bigbadjoe108]

True enough. But when you look at the big picture getting to this point after over 70 years of gross mismanagement in a federal service is actually really quick.

Thoughts and prayers are with the officer, her family and her colleagues.

[fordtruckin]

Sad!

[wwbirds]

Sadly thiese types of individual are unpredictable.

But when you look at the big picture getting to this point after over 70 years of gross mismanagement in a federal service is actually really quick.

Not sure where that comentary comes from as I spent 23 years with Tax and customs including stints at the airport, border crossings and doing physical inspections and field audits in both Canada and the US and never felt a need to be armed. times change and often our counterparts in the US were amazed we did not carry. At the time of my retirement the border climate had changed and vests and firearms training was coming into the plan but the government and union had to agree on making border crossing guards peace officers to justify the firearms.
Had I not retired being an existing shooter and former instructor I could have been one of the first to carry. left while the selection process was being made/hammered out.
Sad state of affairs but how can you possibly anticipate a looney losing it at a border crossing, cinema or any other venue.
All the best for the speedy recovery of the officer and her family.
Rob

[FishingMOM]

UPDATE!

VANCOUVER -- A Canada Border Services Agency officer who was shot in the neck by a man who then killed himself Tuesday at the Peace Arch border crossing does not appear to have been specifically targeted, investigators said late Wednesday.

Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) Supt. Kevin Hackett made the comment in a statement that also identified Andrew Michael Crews, 32, of north Seattle, as the shooter of border guard Lori Bowcock.

Bowcock, who is in her late 20s, is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery, according to the CBSA.

Investigators from the RCMP, IHIT and U.S. law enforcement agencies continue to gather evidence and speak with witnesses, Hackett added.

“This investigation remains in the early stages and investigators are attempting to determine a motive,” said Hackett. “The current evidence clearly indicates that prior to taking his own life, (the shooter) deliberately fired at the victim. There is no evidence, however, to suggest the victim was specifically targeted. ... Our thoughts are with the CBSA officer and her family during this difficult time.”

Bowcock was working in a booth at the crossing when Crews entered Canada driving a white Ford Econovan at about 2 p.m. and shot her in the neck with a handgun. With his van surrounded, Crews turned the gun on himself and was pronounced dead at the scene.

His Facebook profile states he had been working as a tattoo artist at a parlour in Silverdale, Wash., this year. He graduated high school in a Las Vegas suburb in 1998, according to the profile.

According to the Seattle Times, Crews’ stepfather said U.S. Homeland Security officials visited the family’s Las Vegas home Wednesday afternoon and told them Crews was dead.

The stepfather said Crews had texted his mother on Monday and told her he loved her and that he was sorry. They have not been able to reach him since, he said. There was no explanation for the message.

According to the stepfather, Crews worked as a tattoo artist in Bremerton. On Wednesday afternoon, Seattle police officers were searching his north Seattle apartment.

Bowcock had moved to Vancouver less than a year ago after working as a civilian dispatcher at the Ontario Provincial Police communications centre in London, Ont.

“As an organization we are very concerned for her and we wish her a speedy recovery,” said OPP Sgt. Peter Leon.

Jean-Pierre Fortin, president of the Customs and Immigration Union offered Bowcock support on behalf of members.

“The thoughts of our entire membership are with our sister and her family in this terrible time. This incident reminds us all that as law enforcement officers serving Canadians, the personal safety risk we undertake is real every time we go on shift because dealing with the unknown is part of our job,” Fortin said in a statement Wednesday.

South Surrey resident LeAnn Dombrosky said she was about three cars behind the white van in the border lineup. She said she had her windows rolled down when she heard a loud gunshot. She then heard a woman screaming.

“Somebody in that area started to yell ‘Get down on the ground!’ and other commands,” she said, adding that she saw border officials crouched around the van with their guns drawn.

“At that point a second gunshot went off.”

Dombrosky echoed what several other witnesses said Tuesday — that no shots were fired by border guards.

“I figured that he opened fire on (Bowcock) and that was her screaming. I’m not an expert, but I believe the second shot was (Crews) shooting himself.”

CBSA president Luc Portelance issued a statement expressing his sympathy for the guard’s family.

“This is a profound reminder of the risks that border services officers assume every day. I know that the courage and dedication of our officers are second to none,” he said.

Roslyn MacVicar, CBSA’s Pacific regional director general, said Bowcock joined the CBSA a few months ago and was deployed to the Pacific region in July after completing her training the same month. As a recent graduate, Bowcock has not yet completed her firearms training, she noted.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Wednesday he doesn’t think there’s a need to speed up firearms training for border officers after the shooting.

There are about 2,200 armed Canada Border Services Agency officers spread across the country. The government says it hopes to have 5,500 armed officers in place by 2016. This week it announced the opening of a new $57-million firearms training facility in Rigaud, Que., that houses simulation rooms and an 18-lane firing range.

“The new facility is where all of the officers will be trained. We’re trying to train approximately 1,000 officers a year,” Toews told reporters in Ottawa.

Asked if the training ought to be sped up, he replied: “I’d be very reluctant to tell the agency to speed that up if it meant compromising the security training.”

This was not the first time that a CBSA officer had been shot in the line of duty. An officer was shot at the Detroit-Windsor border in the mid-1970s, the union said. That person survived and returned to work.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...#ixzz29fWFFBHn

[Rocky7]

Doesn't sound like a sidearm would have done her any good. She had the misfortune to cross paths with a psycho; it could happen to anyone.

If one border crossing guard is shot at every 40 years, I'd say they ought to be thankful that theirs is one of the safest occupations in the country. I do think they should be armed, these days especially, but let's not blow it out of proportion to reality.

[Classic_Cool]

After reading that last article I know what this guy was about.

I forget if there's a technical term for it but some people who wish to commit suicide, but are too cowardly to do it themselves, will instead provoke the police into doing it for them.

In this particular case the guy was surrounded, and for whatever reason didn't think they'd actually shoot him. But with the adrenaline pumping he probably found that last bit of courage he needed to finish the job himself.

Now don't get the impression I sympathize with that loser. Harming an innocent is never acceptable.

[FishingMOM]

Originally Posted by Classic_Cool

After reading that last article I know what this guy was about.

I forget if there's a technical term for it but some people who wish to commit suicide, but are too cowardly to do it themselves, will instead provoke the police into doing it for them.

In this particular case the guy was surrounded, and for whatever reason didn't think they'd actually shoot him. But with the adrenaline pumping he probably found that last bit of courage he needed to finish the job himself.

Now don't get the impression I sympathize with that loser. Harming an innocent is never acceptable.

you mean suicide by cop?

[Classic_Cool]

Originally Posted by FishingMOM

you mean suicide by cop?

That's the one. Since they're saying the guy wasn't targeting that officer specifically and he texted his Mom "I'm sorry" a few days prior, I'm thinking this was a suicide.

[Chris88CL]

Nobody but the Officer involved has any idea how much time she had to react to the threat. There's just as much chance that she had a second or two where she saw the weapon and could have reacted with her own if she had it. Perhaps that second or two was the difference for her between taking one between the eyes and having a split second to try to react and get out of the way.

And Rocky, while one Officer being shot every 40 years may be acceptable by your standards, you should pull your head out of you know where. One of my LEO brothers or sisters being injured or killed in the line of duty will NEVER be acceptable by my standards.

The Gov't needs to speed things up and get the Officers armed ASAP. Theres no need to sacrifice the level of training or security to get it done. The problem is opening their pocket book to get it done. They are unwilling to hire enough trainers to get everyone through in a timely manner. If this doesnt speed the process up, then I have a feeling the Union is going to tear them apart. Especially considering CBSA Officers have been working for 16 months without a contract.

[Clgy_Dave2.0]

Originally Posted by Classic_Cool

Since they're saying the guy wasn't targeting that officer specifically and he texted his Mom "I'm sorry" a few days prior, I'm thinking this was a suicide.

I'd agree...the part where he shoots himself in the head was a pretty good clue!

[Rackmastr]

Originally Posted by Classic_Cool

That's the one. Since they're saying the guy wasn't targeting that officer specifically and he texted his Mom "I'm sorry" a few days prior, I'm thinking this was a suicide.

No, it was an attempted murder. And THEN it was a suicide.