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HappyCCRVr · 10-17-2012, 07:10 PM

Canadian border guard in stable condition | CTV Ottawa News

Thankfully it seems she will survive, now in stable condition after having the bullet removed in surgery.

Mr_D · 10-17-2012, 07:13 PM

Stories now say he shot himself and the bullet went through him and hit her.

Alan_Hepburn · 10-17-2012, 07:19 PM

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...The man turned the gun on himself, taking his own life. The bullet also hit Bowcock.

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Union members met in Ottawa and said the tragedy is only another example of why guards should be armed.

I fail to see how being armed would have changed the outcome - the driver committed suicide and his round happened to hit the agent - her having a sidearm on her hip would not have made the slightest bit of difference.

Now I have no problem with arming the border guards, in fact I favor it, but to use this incident as an example of why they should be armed is disingenuous at best.

HappyCCRVr · 10-17-2012, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Stories now say he shot himself and the bullet went through him and hit her.

That's just a 'story', it isn't true,
there were 10-20 seconds between the two shots, according to witnesses and police.

HappyCCRVr · 10-17-2012, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan_Hepburn

I fail to see how being armed would have changed the outcome - the driver committed suicide and his round happened to hit the agent - her having a sidearm on her hip would not have made the slightest bit of difference.

Now I have no problem with arming the border guards, in fact I favor it, but to use this incident as an example of why they should be armed is disingenuous at best.

Apparently, the driver committed murder, then suicide.
Still, even with firearms training, I doubt a firearm would have been of any help to his officer.
It doesn't even make sense to me that someone would choose such a location with the sole intent of committing suicide. Although no motive is yet known

HappyCCRVr · 10-17-2012, 07:31 PM

We are hearing that the Peach Arch Border is still closed.

frankdamp · 10-18-2012, 10:28 AM

I don't understand the LE actions. One guard in the northbound Canadian checkpoint is shot by the guy in the vehicle at her station. Nobody else involved.

Law enforcement closes all the lanes in both directions for 36 hours and locks down the duty-free store on the southbound side? The southbound US check point is a good half mile away from the Canadian one.

We know two families who were headed to Vancouver airport to go on vacation and got stuck, north of the last off-ramp on the US side. They missed their flights. I don't know what the airlines will do to help.

Tony Lee · 10-18-2012, 03:51 PM

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I don't understand the LE actions.

Guess the Canadians aren't quite as inured to the murder and mayhem that goes on south of the border, so take such incidents a little more seriously.

MarkQ · 10-18-2012, 05:30 PM

What about the crossing about a half mile to the east? Was it business as usual there?

My son in law and daughter live in Blaine. She teaches in Lynden and had no idea this had gone on.

RobRV · 10-18-2012, 05:43 PM

Fortunately for travelers it was a Slow day at the Border crossing.

I wish the Canadian Border Guard a speedy recovery. I'm sure that regardless of the circumstances She has been traumatized for life!

HappyCCRVr · 10-19-2012, 10:40 AM

Border's back open and the border guard in stable condition.

frankdamp · 10-19-2012, 10:52 AM

Traffic was diverted to the alternate crossing on Route 534, and I expect folks who saw the reader-boards approaching Bellingham might even have gone further east.

Unfortunately there were quite a number of cars that were north of the last exit in Blaine who were stuck quite a while before they were allowed to backtrack.