February 23, 2017
Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador
This upcoming weekend, the RCMP will commemorate the 50th anniversary of their Cst. Robert Amey and Cst. Terry Hoey Hockey Tournament.
The tournament is held each February in Gander and features teams from RCMP detachments and units from across Newfoundland and Labrador. It is named for two RCMP officers who were killed in the line of duty in this province. Cst. Terry Hoey was killed in Botwood in November 1958 and Cst. Robert Amey was killed in Whitbourne in December 1964.
"Csts. Amey and Hoey gave their lives to protect the communities in which they served, " said Assistant Commissioner Peter Clark, the Commanding Officer for the Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP. "For 50 years, current and former employees and community members have come together in Gander to give a fitting tribute to Csts. Amey and Hoey to recognize their ultimate sacrifice."
This year, family members of Csts. Amey and Hoey will travel to the province to attend the tournament. They will also be visiting the communities to which Csts. Amey and Hoey were posted.
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Contact information
Cpl. Kenny Maher
Twillingate RCMP
709-884-2811
kenneth.maher@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Backgrounder
Constable Terry Hoey
On November 6, 1958. Constable Terry Hoey, along with two other Botwood RCMP members, responded to a domestic dispute between the owner of a local restaurant and his son. After getting no response from inside the living quarters above the restaurant and fearing for the son's life, the three members entered a side window and knocked on the living room door. They received no answer and found the door had been heavily barricaded. They called out to the owner and asked him to open the door. Immediately a shotgun blast ripped through the wood of the closed door striking Cst. Hoey in the chest. Tragically, he died at the scene. He was 21-years-old.
Constable Robert Amey
On December 17, 1964, four men broke out of Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's, NL. They then stole a car and headed west along the Trans Canada Highway. Near Whitbourne, they ran through an RCMP roadblock that had been set up by Csts. David Keith and Robert Amey. A chase ensued, and the four fugitives soon abandoned their car and ran for cover. They were discovered hiding in Whitbourne. Even though they were cornered, they refused to surrender. Cst. Amey went to the car radio to call for assistance. When Amey was in the cruiser, the four rushed Cst. Keith and after beating him severely, took away his service revolver. When Amey came running back, he could see that Keith was down and one of the fugitives was armed. Amey attempted to hold the prisoners at gun point but the fugitive fired three shots, one of which hit Amey in the chest, killing him instantly. Using Amey's gun, Cst. Keith was able to arrest the all four fugitives. Cst. Amey was 24-years-old.
