MONCTON, N.B. — A sentencing hearing gets underway today in New Brunswick for the RCMP after the national police force was convicted of failing to properly equip and train its members for a June 2014 shooting rampage in Moncton that left three officers dead and two injured.
Last month, Judge Leslie Jackson said RCMP officers were caught outgunned and ill-prepared to confront gunman Justin Bourque.
Jackson was harshly critical of how long it took the force to equip its officers with carbine rifles ahead of the Moncton attack.
Bourque had targeted police officers in hopes of sparking an anti-government rebellion.
Justin Bourque is shown in this RCMP booking photo taken June 6, 2014.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 75 years.
Rank and file members told the Labour Code trial they were outgunned by Bourque, who roamed a Moncton neighbourhood and opened fired on officers as people walked dogs and children played in yards nearby.
Constables Fabrice Gevaudan, Dave Ross and Doug Larche were killed, while constables Eric Dubois and Darlene Goguen were injured in the shootings.
The defence argued at the trial that the RCMP exercised due diligence in its rollout of patrol carbines, while the Crown argued management knew front-line officers were at risk and the rollout of carbines took too long.
