Former Kamloops Mountie: Shooting brings back bad memories

Officers investigate after a Mountie was shot early this morning in the Batchelor Hills area of the city.

(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

December 03, 2014 - 4:07 PM

KAMLOOPS - Former RCMP officer Rob Creasser is reliving his nightmare after a Mountie was shot not far from his home in Batchelor Hills Wednesday morning.

Creasser was conducting a routine traffic check in the Monte Creek area in 1991 when he was shot at.

“A vehicle was actually pulled over and it was a Sunday night. I just stopped to check and make sure everybody was okay,” he recalls. “Things changed pretty quick.”

The man shot at Creasser, luckily missing him, and then ran down the road. Two hours later officers found his body; he had committed suicide. Today's shooting brings it all back.

“It’s brought back a lot of not so pleasant memories. After my incident I was diagnosed with (post-traumatic stress disorder) and I went through a lot of counselling and treatment for that,” he says, “But this brings everything to the surface again.”

This morning a Mountie conducting a traffic stop on North River Drive near Batchelor Drive was shot. Another officer on scene exchanged gun fire with the suspects before they got away. A massive manhunt has been ongoing ever since. The struck officer has undergone ‘successful’ surgery but remains in critical condition.

As a Batchelor Hills resident Creasser says he is also experiencing the feeling of ‘this is never supposed to happen in my neighbourhood,’ though he admits it can happen anywhere.

Creasser retired just four years ago after spending 28 years as an officer. He worked in the Lower Mainland, Chase, Kamloops and Ashcroft areas before he retired. He’s still in contact with many of the members he worked with up until his retirement.

Supt. Brad Mueller said this morning that while members are solemn at the detachment, he commends them on their professionalism as this situation continues to develop.

“They did what they had to do. People who don’t wear the uniform and don’t put their lives in danger every day don’t have a true understanding of what you go through in those types of situations."

Cpl. Cheryl Bush says these types of incidents do not happen often in Kamloops. While there have been several cases of shots exchanged it is rare for an officer to be struck. Other than this latest incident and the Peterson Creek incident where four Mounties were killed more than 50 years ago, he was unable to recall another example of an officer being shot.

In June RCMP officers came together to remember those fallen officers, as well as the three who were killed by Justin Bourque in Moncton.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723.