Mounties to be honoured for takedown of gunman
The commissioner of the RCMP says he has “every intention” of recognizing the officers who helped take down a gunman who stormed Parliament Hill last October.
Responding to a report that said four Mounties had not received formal recognition for helping bring Michael Zehaf-Bibeau’s rampage to an end, Bob Paulson told the National Post on Wednesday he understands why officers feel frustrated with the apparent “bureaucratic slowness” and agreed the recognition to date has not been sufficient.
But he said it didn’t make sense for the force to contemplate handing out awards until after multiple reviews of the incident were completed in June.
“It’s understandable some of our officers are wondering what’s going on,” Paulson said.
“(But) it would be improper, I think, to go forward and have a ceremony recognizing our officers until that was settled.”
CTV News reported Tuesday night that while former sergeantat-arms Kevin Vickers received a standing ovation in the House of Commons for his role in killing Zehaf-Bibeau, four Mounties who helped corner the gunman had not received formal recognition and were told days after the incident that the narrative focusing on Vickers had “left the station, but you guys will get internal recognition.”
Paulson said Assistant CommissionerGil les Mic haud, commander of the RCMP’s National Division, was not trying to diminish the actions of the officers in his private meetings with them.
“They were understandably scratching their heads as the huge media response focused on the sergeant-at-arms. We take no issue with that,” Paulson said. “All Gilles was trying to do in saying that to those people was to say, ‘Look, that’s not how we roll. We need to assemble facts, we need to be transparent, we need to have external bodies come in and examine these things.”
“It’s just not how the police works to start handing out medals before the thing is thoroughly understood. That’s what he was trying to convey to them.”
Zehaf-Bibeau stormed the Centre Block on Oct. 22 after fatally shooting a soldier, Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, in the back at the National War Memorial.
An un-redacted copy of the Ontario Provincial Police’s independent investigation of the incident obtained by the Post’s John Ivison in June concluded that Const. Curtis Barrett and sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers “fired their weapons and neutralized the threat.”
Barrett had advanced toward the gunman in the Hall of Honour with three colleagues — Sgt. Richard Rozon, Const. Martin Fraser and Cpl. Dany Daigle — in diamond formation.
The gunman came out from behind an alcove and fired a shot at the officers. At that point, Vickers, who emerged from a nearby office, dove to the floor and began firing at the gunman. Barrett also returned fire.
Paulson said he has received submissions to formally recognize 14 RCMP officers, five House of Commons security personnel and the former sergeant-at-arms with Governor General’s Awards or RCMP commendations for bravery or performance.