Officer who exchanged gunfire with James Roszko testifies at inquiry

The RCMP officer who exchanged gunfire with James Roszko and lived to tell about it took the stand during the fifth day of a fatality inquiry looking into what led to the deaths of four constables on March 3rd, 2005.

Constables Anthony Gordon, Leo Johnston, Brock Myrol and Peter Schiemann were killed by Roszko on a farm property near Mayerthorpe, before the gunman turned the weapon on himself.

Cpl. Steve Vigor, a retired member of the RCMP, testified Friday morning on the morning of the shooting, he pulled up to the property with his partner Const. Garrett Hoogestraat and saw four officers located on the west side of the property near a small shed.

"Two were on the roof and two were standing near the shed and the police vehicle," he said.

Three of the officers were in uniform, he said, and one appeared to be in coveralls.

Vigor's partner got out of the vehicle to speak with one of the officers. Vigor said he was in the vehicle for about two minutes, and then got out of the vehicle to take some coveralls out of the trunk.

His partner made his way back to vehicle and that's when Vigor said they "heard two very loud bangs."

"Sounded like someone had taken a heavy bar or a mallet and hit the side of the Quonset"

"At that point there was a series of half a dozen to eight loud bangs and at that point it occurred to me they were gunshots," he said.

Vigor said he also heard a couple of screams.

Vigor then told his partner: "those are gunshots."

He said he then pulled his sidearm down the side of the Quonset and told his partner: "call in a 1033 officers down call."

"The suspect came out of the Quonset. It appeared he came down the middle of the main door...casually walking, then realized I was there."

Vigor said the suspect appeared to have a surprised look on his face.

"He appeared to recover very quickly swung his weapon around at me and fired two shots"

"One hit the passenger side mirror," he said. "I fired two shots back at the suspect"

"I believe I went into a two-handed grip with a slight crouch. He staggered back into the Quonset."

"I know now that I hit him. One shot to the hand and one shot to the thigh," said Vigor.

Vigor then directed his partner to pull up their vehicle closer so it would give them a better view on the Quonset.

The pair then waited for backup, and eventually members from surrounding detachments started to arrive.

Vigor explained he started to position the officers so that the Quonset could be watched from 360 degrees.

"We could certainly get closer. We had no idea if James Roszko was alive inside."

Vigor claimed he had positioned members a safe distance from the building.

He told court even with his tactical training he would not have survived that initial ambush.

"Walking into that Quonset, not knowing that Roszko was there... I'd be dead."

The court also got a glimpse at a video re-enactment recorded on March 6, 2005.

Vigor tells investigators on video: "I can hear screaming from inside...I run around the side of the car."

"The suspect or what appears to be the suspect exits," he said.

Vigor explained the shots exchanged and the suspect goes back inside the Quonset.

"There's no movement, no sound...I can't hear anything from the inside," he said.

Vigor also spoke outside the court telling reporters: "I'm not proud of the fact I had to kill some but I'm proud of the fact that I stopped him from taking more lives."

Vigor received the Governor General's Medal of Bravery for his actions that day.

The inquiry continues Monday. Two more officers are expected to testify.

With files from David Ewasuk