LAVAL OFFICER KILLED IN DRUG RAID

Early-Morning Shootout Ends In Tragedy After Police Storm Montreal-Area Home

MONTREAL -- A major investigation into a suspected
cocaine-trafficking ring in the Montreal area ended in tragedy
yesterday when a newly promoted detective was shot dead as he and
other officers stormed into the home of a bar owner to execute a
search warrant.

Neighbours described a gunfight before sunrise, with the house alarm
ringing, people screaming and at least 10 shots being fired inside a
two-storey home in an upscale residential suburb.

Inside the house were an adult couple, a six-year-old girl and her
15-year-old brother. The children were not hurt but their mother was
wounded. She is not expected to die of the injuries.

Laval Police Detective-Sergeant Daniel Tessier, 42, who had been in
the drug squad for only a week, died after being shot in the head.

He was married to another police officer, Dominique Lapointe, who
works for the neighbouring Repentigny Police. They have two
daughters, ages 10 and 12.

Ms. Lapointe's sister, Diane, said the couple had met while both
attended the Quebec National Police School in Nicolet, near Sherbrooke.

"My God. We're trying to close ranks and support each other. The pain
is very deep."

It was the second time in 15 months that a Laval police officer has
been shot dead on duty. "That wound hadn't healed at all and here we
are again in this painful situation," Laval Police Chief Jean-Pierre
Gariepy told reporters.

The death came in the wake of the December, 2005, slaying of
Constable Valerie Gignac, the first Laval officer to die in the line of duty.

Death is an inherent risk in an officer's life, the chief said. "It's
like flipping a coin. God willing, most of the time it falls on the
right side. This morning it fell on the wrong side."

The shootout took place at a home in Brossard, a bedroom community
south of Montreal, part of eight search warrants executed yesterday.

The house is owned by a 41-year-old man and his wife. Neither has a
criminal record.

Reached by phone, the man's father said his son had two young
children, a description matching the police's account. The suspect's
father said his son owns a bar in Montreal's West Island. He would
not comment further.

A neighbour said the shooting began shortly after 5 a.m. during a
snowstorm. There were shouts as the police officers entered after
ramming the door open, he said.

Another neighbour said he heard an alarm go off. At least 10 gunshots rang out.

Then other officers appeared, some with dogs.

Then, witnesses said, one officer, Constable Stephane Forbes, stepped
out and sat on a recycling bin on the curb to be treated for a wound
on his upper arm.

Later, Det. Sgt. Tessier was wheeled out on a gurney. Ambulance
technicians performed CPR on him as they took him to their vehicle.
He was declared dead on arrival at hospital.

The two children inside the house have been put into the care of
relatives, police said.

The investigation into the death of Det. Sgt. Tessier has been taken
over by the Surete du Quebec, the provincial police. SQ officers were
questioning the house residents yesterday.

The drug probe began last June and focused on a suspected ring of
cocaine and crack-cocaine dealers, Chief Gariepy said. "It's an
organization we've been watching since last summer."

This week's drug probe began in Laval, north of Montreal, in the
Chomedey South sector, he said.

A 17-year veteran, Det. Sgt. Tessier had been working undercover
before his transfer a week ago to the drug and vice squad.