Pubdate: Sat, 09 Dec 2006
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2006, The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.globeandmail.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Joe Friesen
Note: With reports from Canadian Press and CTV News

WINNIPEG REELS AFTER POLICE SHOT

WINNIPEG -- The expensive cars and beautiful women that visited the 
small green bungalow seemed like the outward signs of a blessed life.

One woman used to look at her neighbour, 21-year-old Daniel Ian 
Anderson, and think what a promising future he had. Tall and good 
looking, he was surrounded by friends who drove Jaguars and other 
flashy vehicles, even if those friends did call at all hours of the night.

But when the sound of banging drew her to the window late Thursday 
night, the woman, who asked not to be named, saw her neighbour's 
charmed life unravel.

Police officers swarmed the area beneath her window. Men lay writhing 
on the ground. Within seconds, ambulances and stretchers arrived.

Mr. Anderson, who had been wounded, was suddenly facing charges of 
attempted murder in connection with the shooting of three Winnipeg 
police officers.

Police say the incident began around 11 p.m. as 12 officers arrived 
at the Jubilee Avenue house to execute a search warrant related to 
the narcotics trade.

Sources said that as the officers moved from room to room, sweeping 
the interior of the home, shots were fired through a wall. The weapon 
was believed to be a 12-gauge shotgun.

One officer took the brunt of a shot near the wrist. Colleagues say 
the impact blew through his wrist and hand, leaving him with a 
significant injury.

Another officer, a four-year-veteran, was shot in the leg. Both were 
in stable condition in hospital yesterday.

A third officer, a 12-year-veteran of the force, was shot in the 
stomach. He underwent surgery and was said to be in guarded condition.

Police Chief Jack Ewatski said he was shocked.

"We all realize when we go into this profession there are inherent 
risks," he told a news conference yesterday.

"We certainly try to do everything to mitigate them, but when our 
fellow officers are injured in any way, shape or form as a result of 
performing their duties, it certainly strikes a chord with all of us."

He would not say whether the officers were wearing bullet-proof 
vests, but said all were properly equipped and trained for their 
assignment. He also would not say whether the accused had been shot.

"From my understanding, the proper protocols were followed for this 
type of warrant execution."

The accused, Mr. Anderson, had not faced charges before. Although 
Chief Ewatski would not discuss possible gang ties, sources said Mr. 
Anderson is believed to have connections to a low-level street gang 
known as the Zig Zag Crew. The Zig Zag Crew has been described by 
police as a puppet organization for the Hells Angels.

Mr. Anderson shared the home with his parents and two siblings in 
their 20s, neighbours said. Although one neighbour said he was 
certain the shooting was gang related, he refused to elaborate.

The family had lived in the home for more than 20 years, after moving 
to Winnipeg from Nova Scotia, a neighbour said.

"There was nice cars always coming there, Jaguars and other fancy 
cars that I admired," the neighbour said.

"They had nice, beautiful girlfriends there at all times. I used to 
think how lucky they are. Tall, good looking. They have everything.

"You just never know what's cooking in your neighbour's home."

Loren Schinkel, president of the Winnipeg Police Association, said 
the names of the wounded officers weren't released in order to 
protect the privacy of their families.

He said the incident shows how difficult policing has become in 
Winnipeg, where 80 per cent of warrant searches lead to the seizure 
of a firearm.

Mr. Schinkel also said that many of the officers on the scene 
Thursday night were relatively inexperienced. Some had graduated from 
the police academy only two weeks earlier. More than half had fewer 
than five years on the job.

He called on the City of Winnipeg to create a full-time emergency 
tactical response unit, as most other major Canadian cities have 
done. That way, he said, specially trained officers could handle 
high-risk entry situations.

"The drug trade is a lucrative business and these people will do 
anything to protect their profits," Mr. Schinkel said. "There is no 
such thing as a routine search warrant."

High-profile multiple police shootings

July 15-16, 2006: RCMP constables Robin Cameron, 29, and Marc 
Bourdages, 26, die in hospital overnight about two hours apart. Both 
had suffered severe head injuries after being shot July 7 while 
chasing a suspect after a domestic dispute in Spiritwood, Sask.

March 3, 2005: RCMP constables Brock Myrol, 29, Peter Schiemann, 25, 
Anthony Gordon, 28, and Leo Johnston, 32, are ambushed and gunned 
down in a raid on a suspected marijuana grow operation near Mayerthorpe, Alta.

Feb 27, 1972: Detectives Michael Irwin, 38, and Douglas Sinclair, 44, 
of the Metropolitan Toronto Police, now the Toronto Police Service, 
are shot and killed while investigating a complaint about a man at a 
party at an apartment in the Don Mills area of Toronto.

June, 1962: RCMP constables Elwood Keck, 25, Gordon Pedersen, 25, and 
Donald Weisgerber, 23, are shot and killed by a gunman firing his 
army surplus rifle from a bridge in Kamloops, B.C.

October, 1935: RCMP Constable John Shaw, 39 and Constable William 
Wainwright, a municipal police officer from Benito, Man., are shot 
while transporting three young men suspected of armed robbery. After 
dumping the bodies in a swamp, the three run into an RCMP spot check 
and gun down the two officers there, Constable George Harrison, 29, 
and Sergeant Thomas Wallace, 39. Sources: CBC, CP
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman