91社区破解版

Const. Michael J. Buday, 27, was part of a fully-equipped RCMP assault team that flew into the area yesterday to arrest the hermit-like trapper, Michael Oros, know variously as 鈥淐razy Mike鈥� or 鈥淪heslay Free Mike鈥� after a reported cabin break-in.

Described as deranged and violent, Oros, 33, had been living by his wits in the wilderness for several years. An immigrant from the U.S., Oros was known locally to be paranoic, believing the world and especially police were out to get him. (See separate story).

Oros, known as a crack shot, opened fire as team members moved in, hitting Buday before being gunned down by another member of the rifle-equipped team.

Oros latest, and final, run-in with the law began Monday morning.

A 91社区破解版 family went by snowmobile to check the cabin at the southwest tip of the lake, said Cpl. Al Mathews of the 91社区破解版 RCMP. They hadn鈥檛 been there since last fall. 鈥淭hey discovered it had been lived in.鈥� Possessions were missing and some damage had been done to a total estimated value of $7,000.

They also saw Oros in the area.

鈥淭hey saw him walking up a trail, through binoculars. They recognized him and chose not to stay around.鈥�

The family returned to Teslin to report to police.

Monday afternoon, Teslin RCMP flew down the lake in a chartered plane to look at the cabin. They spotted Oros walking along the lake ice and flew in for a close look.

Oros shot at the aircraft, a Maule flown by Dennis Dennison of Coyote Air Service of Teslin. Oros was know for disliking aircraft and has reportedly shot at others before, so it鈥檚 unlikely he shot at the plane knowing it carried police officers. He did not hit the aircraft.

The plane returned to Teslin and reinforcements were called in. A warrant for Oros arrest, on suspicion of break and enter, was obtained. Because the cabin and the aircraft shooting were in B.C. it technically did not come under the jurisdiction of Yukon RCMP. So a 13-member emergency response team was flown in from the Prince Rupert subdivision.

They flew to 91社区破解版 Monday night, and flew to Atlin and then Teslin yesterday morning just after 7 a.m. Those flights were all on board the Yukon RCMP鈥檚 Twin Otter.

RCMP Supt. Robert Currie, commander of the Prince Rupert subdivision, said Oros was 鈥渨ell known to us, with a history of violence and instability.鈥�

鈥淭he extra police (were) a precautionary step in light of the suspect鈥檚 previous history of violence and instability and because of the isolation and snowbound nature of territory involved,鈥� said Mathews.

鈥淗e would hunt meat, steal from cabins, things of that sort. He had lived there for half a dozen years at least, mostly out in the open. We believed he sort of borrowed cabins sometimes. He was pretty tough. You鈥檇 have to be tough.鈥�

Two Bell 206-helicopters carried six members of the team and the police dog down the lake, said Matt Conant of Trans North Air, who piloted one of the helicopters. The other belonged to Capital Helicopters of Atlin. Meanwhile, Dennison鈥檚 Maule was also along with Inspector Harry Wallace on board running the operation by radio from the air.

Oros was apparently spotted again on the lake. The team appears to have arrived in the area around noon. So far, few details have been made public.

鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 much in the way of any cover or anything like that,鈥� said Mathews. 鈥淚t was just open snow.鈥�

Conant said the two helicopters were directed to land around a point from where Oros was spotted, about 50 kilometres south of the Yukon border. The aircraft landed and the team began to move in on Oros.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 put down in sight of him. We put down around the point. He鈥檚 crazy. I wasn鈥檛 getting too close with the helicopter... I didn鈥檛," Conant said.

But Oros had certainly heard the helicopters, Conant said. Conant took off again and neither saw nor heard the shooting. The other helicopter returned to Teslin to pick up more of the team.

The shooting of Buday occurred at about 1 p.m., RCMP say.

Mathews said that because the incident happened in an unconfined area, the team was broken down into smaller groups.

Conant said that from the description of team members, the scene was off the edge of the lake in bush and Oros appears the have managed to ambush the groups with Buday.

鈥淚 think they were together and I think Crazy Mike came up behind them somehow and caught them by surprise. He shot first.鈥�

Mathews said another member of the group with Buday quickly returned fire, killing Oros, who was armed with two rifles.

鈥淚t was almost right away. Another one of the members returned fire right away.鈥�

The team was equipped with weapons including rifles with high-powered sniper scopes, megaphones, and a weapon that appeared to be a tear gas gun.

Bob Bruneau, manager of the Yukon Motel visited a cabin last year near Teslin Lake where Oros frequently stayed and found it littered with books and bizarre notes about Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River, who killed two RCMP officers in 1932 and was eventually tracked and killed by police.

Buday has been with the RCMP for eight years, and had special training in dog-handling and in emergency response tactics. He was based in Terrace, B.C.

A native of Brooks, Alta., he was single and is survived by his parents, two older brothers and a 15-year-old sister.

鈥淲hen Michael was in Grade 11 a Mountie came to the high school and gave a talk to the students about careers with the RCMP,鈥� his mother, Margaret, said by telephone Tuesday night.

鈥淔rom that day on he was determined to be in the RCMP.鈥�

He completed the force鈥檚 dog-handling course - graduating with his dog, Trooper, his constant companion - and was slated to return soon to the Prince George, B.C., detachment, where he had served earlier in his career.

When most of the response team returned to 91社区破解版 late last night, Trooper was taken away by the RCMP鈥檚 Yukon dog handler, Brian Boleen.

Buday was the second RCMP member killed this year, Const. Allen Giesbrecht, 32, died Jan. 13 in an incident at a house in Vegreville, Alta. Nine police officers were killed in Canada in 1984.

Mathews said the bodies have been flown to Prince George for autopsy and an inquest will be held into the shootings. Insp. Wallace returned to Teslin today to head up an investigation of the incident. Several members of the team had remained in Teslin last night.

By Massey Padgham, Staff Reporter