Slain Mountie’s father says justice has been served

Alexandra Zabjek, Yellowknife, NWT (Edmonton Journal) – An Alberta man who shot an RCMP officer four times at close range during a foot chase in the Northwest Territories has been found guilty of first-degree murder.

It took the jury 12 hours over two days to come to the decision regarding Emrah Bulatci’s role in the death of Const. Christopher Worden, a 30-year-old officer who was gunned down in Hay River, N.W.T., in 2007.

Worden’s widow, Jodie, was in tears before the jury entered court Thursday morning. Worden’s entire family gasped when the verdict was announced. Several wept openly.

Bulatci, 25 and formerly of St. Albert, leaned forward in the prisoner’s box, his chin pressed to his chest. His face was red and he appeared to be crying as he left court. He had no family members present for the verdict.

Worden’s father, John Worden, told a press conference outside court that justice has been served.

“The first-degree murder conviction handed down by the jury is the correct one,” he said, flanked by his wife, Worden’s siblings, and Worden’s widow.

“The convicted criminal shot our Christopher four times with only one intent: to kill,” he said. “No one who knew Chris was surprised to learn the details of his actions in the early morning hours of Oct. 6, 2007. He followed his instincts once encountering the convicted criminal and knew that this man should have been arrested and off the streets. Chris was doing his job. He took action to protect the safety of the residents of Hay River.”

On the first day of his trial, Bulatci admitted he shot Worden four times, hitting the officer first in the leg and pelvis, then in the neck and chest.

His defence lawyers argued the shot that hit Worden in the neck, ultimately killing him, was fired unintentionally during a struggle with the constable.

Bulatci, 25, spent several hours testifying during the trial. He said he was in Hay River dealing crack cocaine in the days leading up to Worden’s death. He had brought a loaded handgun to the northern community to protect himself from rival drug dealers, he said. When he encountered Worden outside a drug house, Bulatci said he panicked. He had two court orders prohibiting him from carrying a firearm and wanted to throw away the gun without the officer seeing.

A short foot chase ensued. Bulatci said he could hear Worden gaining on him when he grabbed the gun from his jacket, cocked it and fired twice, aiming at the constable’s legs. He said he wanted to slow the officer down.

Bulatci said he tripped, landing face-first on the ground with Worden on top of him. He kept the gun in his hand, his finger on the trigger.

“I didn’t intend to pull the trigger. It just happened during the struggle,” he told court.

Throughout the four-week trial, court also heard from a parade of witnesses, many of whom were involved in the drug trade with Bulatci. Several drug acquaintances said Bulatci asked them for help in the days following the shooting as he tried to change his appearance and hide from police who had launched a nationwide manhunt.

Several fellow drug dealers testified Bulatci told them he had “shot a cop.”

Court also heard tape recordings of conversations Bulatci had with his father and girlfriend while he was remanded in custody. He told his father that he had shot a police officer, but told his girlfriend he was innocent.

Bulatci claimed he could not tell his drug cohorts the truth because he couldn’t show them weakness or vulnerability.

Bulatci was captured after an eight-hour standoff outside an Edmonton residence, one week after Worden was shot.

Northwest Territories Supreme Court was packed Thursday morning with high-ranking RCMP officers and some constables who appeared to have walked in to court during their shifts.

Chief Supt. Tom Middleton, commanding officer of RCMP G Division, told a press conference the verdict could provide closure to other RCMP officers.

“The verdict of guilty to first-degree murder allows us some solace as to justice being served for the crime. It does not, however, lessen the pain of the loss.”

The RCMP was criticized in the months following the shooting for the way it patrols northern communities.

Worden’s widow, Jodie, said it should be mandatory for officers to have backup. Two months after Worden’s death, the RCMP unveiled a new policy for smaller detachments that requires a minimum of two officers to respond to calls involving issues such as domestic disputes, suspected weapons, and violence.

Middleton couldn’t say whether another RCMP officer might today find himself in a situation similar to Worden’s.

“There are so many volatile situations that we face and these things change second to second when you’re out on the street. It would be virtually impossible to for me to make a conclusion about what a member might face tonight or tomorrow night.”

Worden is among 11 RCMP officers to have died violently in the line of duty since 2000.

Court will reconvene at 2 p.m. for sentencing. A first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

A first-degree murder conviction required the jury to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Bulatci intended to kill Worden or intended to cause bodily harm that was likely to kill him and was reckless. Bulatci could otherwise have been found guilty of manslaughter, which involves an unintentional killing.