The family of Cst. Brock Myrol stands next to a new monument at Red Deer's Bower Place Shopping Centre honouring their son and three other officers killed 19 years ago near Mayerthorpe. Pictured along with Myrol's parents, Keith and Colleen Patricia, are his sister Kalhanie Stillings and niece Lauren Stillings. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

replaces aged and worn original monument

New statue in memory of fallen Mayerthorpe officers unveiled at Bower Place in Red Deer

Jan 25, 2024 | 10:24 PM

A new statue has been unveiled at Red Deer’s Bower Place Shopping Centre in memory of the four RCMP officers killed almost 19 years ago near Mayerthorpe, Alberta.

It was March 3, 2005 when Brock Myrol, Anthony Gordon, Lionide ‘Leo’ Johnston and Peter Schiemann were shot and killed, but their memories have never been forgotten. In fact, their lives and contributions have become the focus of many permanent fixtures across the province.

In the wake of the tragedy, Red Deer’s Bower Place Shopping Centre erected a memorial, but over the years it became worn and damaged.

The original Mayerthorpe monument at Red Deer’s Bower Place Shopping Centre was recenty removed to make way for a new and improved one. (Bower Place Shopping Centre)

In recent years, mall management decided it was time for a change to ensure remembrance was done right, and on Thursday, it unveiled the new monument during a rededication ceremony.

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Myrol, who was 29 at the time and had been an RCMP officer for a mere three weeks, worked as a loss prevention officer at the old Bower Place Zellers for nine years. His parents, Keith and Colleen Patricia Myrol, were in attendance Thursday.

The statue bears their son’s likeness.

A statue of Cst. Brock Myrol at Red Deer’s Bower Place Shopping Centre. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“I was surprised it took on such a different look, and it looks very nice. The way the sun was hitting it when we first came through the door was neat. I think they did a really nice job, and I like that they added the flag,” says Cst. Myrol’s mom. “It’s surprising how emotions come back instantly; you think, ‘Well, I’m okay,’ and all of a sudden, something like this. That’s just the way grief is. It has its own journey.”

She adds that it’s taken the whole family over the years, at reunions and birthdays, to help get through the fact that, in her words, “Somebody’s missing, and that’s just the way it is.”

Keith added that it doesn’t feel like it’s been 19 years.

Underneath the statue is the plaque from the original monument, which lists all the officers’ names.

Cst. Anthony Gordon, 28, also spent time growing up in Red Deer, Cst. Lionide Johnston, 32, was from Owl River, Alberta, and Cst. Peter Schiemann, 25, was from Petrolia, Ontario but was raised in Stony Plain.

(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“It’s very important as a community we come together to support the families. There are a number of officers who work at Red Deer RCMP detachment who have close ties, either having worked with the four fallen or were in depot training with them, so it’s very important to acknowledge and take time to be part of this community celebration today,” said Supt. Holly Glassford, Officer in Charge at Red Deer Detachment.

Red Deer RCMP Supt. Holly Glassford speaks at a rededication ceremony at Bower Place Shopping Centre on Jan. 25, 2023. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“I think every Mountie, every officer, remembers where they were. I was posted up north in an isolated detachment, and I remember me and other members there, we just came together. There wasn’t a lot we could say. Sometimes you feel very powerless because we’re thousands of miles away from the scene and it’s difficult to know you have colleagues who are in harm’s way.”

The new statue was funded entirely by Bower Place.

For those perhaps unfamiliar with the case, James Roszko, the man who killed the officers, fatally shot himself in the immediate aftermath.

The four members were investigating a chop shop and marijuana grow operation at a Roszko-owned property at the time of their deaths.

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