WINNIPEG REELS AFTER POLICE SHOT

WINNIPEG -- The expensive cars and beautiful women that visited the
small green bungalow seemed like the outward signs of a blessed life.

One woman used to look at her neighbour, 21-year-old Daniel Ian
Anderson, and think what a promising future he had. Tall and good
looking, he was surrounded by friends who drove Jaguars and other
flashy vehicles, even if those friends did call at all hours of the night.

But when the sound of banging drew her to the window late Thursday
night, the woman, who asked not to be named, saw her neighbour's
charmed life unravel.

Police officers swarmed the area beneath her window. Men lay writhing
on the ground. Within seconds, ambulances and stretchers arrived.

Mr. Anderson, who had been wounded, was suddenly facing charges of
attempted murder in connection with the shooting of three Winnipeg
police officers.

Police say the incident began around 11 p.m. as 12 officers arrived
at the Jubilee Avenue house to execute a search warrant related to
the narcotics trade.

Sources said that as the officers moved from room to room, sweeping
the interior of the home, shots were fired through a wall. The weapon
was believed to be a 12-gauge shotgun.

One officer took the brunt of a shot near the wrist. Colleagues say
the impact blew through his wrist and hand, leaving him with a
significant injury.

Another officer, a four-year-veteran, was shot in the leg. Both were
in stable condition in hospital yesterday.

A third officer, a 12-year-veteran of the force, was shot in the
stomach. He underwent surgery and was said to be in guarded condition.

Police Chief Jack Ewatski said he was shocked.

"We all realize when we go into this profession there are inherent
risks," he told a news conference yesterday.

"We certainly try to do everything to mitigate them, but when our
fellow officers are injured in any way, shape or form as a result of
performing their duties, it certainly strikes a chord with all of us."

He would not say whether the officers were wearing bullet-proof
vests, but said all were properly equipped and trained for their
assignment. He also would not say whether the accused had been shot.

"From my understanding, the proper protocols were followed for this
type of warrant execution."

The accused, Mr. Anderson, had not faced charges before. Although
Chief Ewatski would not discuss possible gang ties, sources said Mr.
Anderson is believed to have connections to a low-level street gang
known as the Zig Zag Crew. The Zig Zag Crew has been described by
police as a puppet organization for the Hells Angels.

Mr. Anderson shared the home with his parents and two siblings in
their 20s, neighbours said. Although one neighbour said he was
certain the shooting was gang related, he refused to elaborate.

The family had lived in the home for more than 20 years, after moving
to Winnipeg from Nova Scotia, a neighbour said.

"There was nice cars always coming there, Jaguars and other fancy
cars that I admired," the neighbour said.

"They had nice, beautiful girlfriends there at all times. I used to
think how lucky they are. Tall, good looking. They have everything.

"You just never know what's cooking in your neighbour's home."

Loren Schinkel, president of the Winnipeg Police Association, said
the names of the wounded officers weren't released in order to
protect the privacy of their families.

He said the incident shows how difficult policing has become in
Winnipeg, where 80 per cent of warrant searches lead to the seizure
of a firearm.

Mr. Schinkel also said that many of the officers on the scene
Thursday night were relatively inexperienced. Some had graduated from
the police academy only two weeks earlier. More than half had fewer
than five years on the job.

He called on the City of Winnipeg to create a full-time emergency
tactical response unit, as most other major Canadian cities have
done. That way, he said, specially trained officers could handle
high-risk entry situations.

"The drug trade is a lucrative business and these people will do
anything to protect their profits," Mr. Schinkel said. "There is no
such thing as a routine search warrant."

High-profile multiple police shootings

July 15-16, 2006: RCMP constables Robin Cameron, 29, and Marc
Bourdages, 26, die in hospital overnight about two hours apart. Both
had suffered severe head injuries after being shot July 7 while
chasing a suspect after a domestic dispute in Spiritwood, Sask.

March 3, 2005: RCMP constables Brock Myrol, 29, Peter Schiemann, 25,
Anthony Gordon, 28, and Leo Johnston, 32, are ambushed and gunned
down in a raid on a suspected marijuana grow operation near Mayerthorpe, Alta.

Feb 27, 1972: Detectives Michael Irwin, 38, and Douglas Sinclair, 44,
of the Metropolitan Toronto Police, now the Toronto Police Service,
are shot and killed while investigating a complaint about a man at a
party at an apartment in the Don Mills area of Toronto.

June, 1962: RCMP constables Elwood Keck, 25, Gordon Pedersen, 25, and
Donald Weisgerber, 23, are shot and killed by a gunman firing his
army surplus rifle from a bridge in Kamloops, B.C.

October, 1935: RCMP Constable John Shaw, 39 and Constable William
Wainwright, a municipal police officer from Benito, Man., are shot
while transporting three young men suspected of armed robbery. After
dumping the bodies in a swamp, the three run into an RCMP spot check
and gun down the two officers there, Constable George Harrison, 29,
and Sergeant Thomas Wallace, 39. Sources: CBC, CP