YARMOUTH, N.S. — Inspector Jeremie Landry vividly remembers the sound of gunfire above his head as he hugged the ground.
He didn’t know whether or not he’d make it out alive.
“Despite this, I knew I had to do everything I could to rescue my injured colleague,” he said.
On March 20, Landry, from Amirault's Hill, along with four other RCMP officers involved in the Jan. 6, 2014 Alberta incident, received a Commendation for Bravery in Edmonton at K Division headquarters.
Landry – who at the time of the incident five years ago was a sergeant, detachment commander of Vegreville, and senior officer on scene – says he recalls the entire situation unfolding very quickly. He and fellow Alberta RCMP members from Vegreville, Tofield and Two Hills detachments were at a rural property, trying to locate and arrest a man who had warrants for his arrest and was known to be armed and dangerous.
The suspect tried to escape the property in a stolen truck and Cpl. Travis Ogilvie attempted to arrest him as he was attempting to leave.
As a result, Ogilvie was thrown from the vehicle and run over, breaking his arm and leg. The stolen truck then became stuck in the snow. The suspect had several firearms inside of his truck and began firing at the officers.
Landry says many rounds of gunfire were shot at him and the others. While taking on gunfire, Landry assisted in rescuing Ogilvie, who was laying on the ground near the stolen vehicle, as the suspect tried to get unstuck from the snowbank.
First aid was provided to Ogilvie and the officers were able to remove him from the property.
“During the extraction, I could hear bullets flying over top of my head,” said Landry.
He had to dive onto the ground multiple times during the bursts of gunfire. One of his colleagues was shot in the arm by the suspect during the deluge. The entire altercation lasted several hours before the Emergency Response Team arrived and the suspect eventually surrendered.
He was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in jail, where he currently remains, plus he received a lifetime firearms prohibition.
Ogilvie recovered and returned to work. He is now the detachment commander of a small detachment in southern Alberta.
In addition to Landry and Ogilvie, Cpl. David Brosinsky, Const. Nicholas Crowther and Const. Adam Rayner received the Commendation for Bravery award in connection with the 2014 incident.
Cpl. Brandon Goudey from Yarmouth was also among the 17 officers honoured at the ceremony in Edmonton. He was recognized for an incident in 2016 in which he helped to save a drowning man.
Deputy Commissioner Zablocki, commanding officer of the Alberta RCMP, says the ceremony provided a chance to bring “amazing stories of bravery, resilience and courage out of the shadows.”
“These are the stories that need to be heard so that we can express our gratitude and give our heroes the recognition they deserve.”
Landry says shortly after the incident he got hold of his husband and parents, as he knew the incident would be on the news quickly.
“An incident like this changes you. It is a life-altering event. I believe I did what any of my fellow brothers and sisters in the RCMP would have done. Do what needed to be done to protect the public and our colleagues.”
More about Inspector Jeremie Landry
Jeremie Landry joined the RCMP in 2004.
He is now in St. Paul, Alberta, and is the district operations officer for the Eastern Alberta district.
He is the son of Kathy Goodwin from Argyle and retired Staff Sgt. Frank Landry, who served over 14 years in Yarmouth in various positions: in charge of Yarmouth rural and town detachments and finally as a district advisory non-commissioned officer for the Southwest Nova district.
