Justin Bourque manhunt cost $1.2M, RCMP say
Moncton gunman killed 3 RCMP officers, wounded 2 others on June 4
The manhunt for Moncton, N.B., shooter Justin Christien Bourque, who killed three RCMP officers and wounded two others in June, cost taxpayers $1.2 million.
Cpl. Chantal Farrah confirmed the figure to CBC News on Monday.
She said it's not yet clear how the cost will be covered, but it will be determined with the RCMP's partners under the parameters outlined in the Provincial Police Services Agreement and the Municipal Police Services Agreement.
Farrah could not speculate how long the process will take.
The two-day manhunt for Bourque, 24, involved more than 265 RCMP officers from across Canada and about 60 municipal police officers from forces across the country.
They scoured the woods for the heavily armed suspect wearing camouflage as residents of the southeastern New Brunswick city waited under lockdown, gripped by fear. He was arrested just after midnight on June 6.
The RCMP also spent $176,000 on meals and lodging for its officers, as well as $234,000 in regular pay, she said.
Bourque, 24, pleaded guilty last month to three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the Moncton Mountie shootings on June 4.
He could be facing consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole for 75 years for the three first-degree murder charges.
A sentencing hearing will be held on Oct. 27. A pre-sentence report and victim impact statements will be presented to the court at that time.
The RCMP officers who were killed on June 4 were:
- Const. Douglas James Larche, 40, from Saint John.
- Const. Dave Joseph Ross, 32, from Victoriaville, Que.
- Const. Fabrice Georges Gevaudan, 45, originally from Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
The RCMP officers who were wounded in the shootings were:
- Const. Éric Stéphane J. Dubois.
- Const. Marie Darlene Goguen.