Image copyright Kev Bourque/via Reuters Image caption Emergency vehicles pictured near the scene in Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canadian police say a suspect is in custody after at least four people - two of them police officers - were killed in a shooting in the eastern city of Fredericton, New Brunswick.
The slain officers were identified as Sarah Burns and Robb Costello, but the civilians - a man and a woman - have not been named.
The officers were responding to reports of shots fired when they were killed, officials told media.
Police have not mentioned a motive.
"Protecting us today, they gave their lives," Fredericton mayor Mike O'Brien told the media during a press conference. "We will get through this together but now my thoughts turn to the families of the victims."
Burns, 43, leaves behind a husband and three children, while Costello, 45, is survived by his partner and four children.
Skip Twitter post by @CityFredPolice Our deepest condolences to the families of our fallen members 45-year-old Lawrence Robert Costello and 43-year-old Sara Mae Helen Burns and the other victims in this morning's shootings. pic.twitter.com/9TeWn5OqWx — Fredericton Police (@CityFredPolice) August 10, 2018 Report
Officials told reporters the officers had been responding to reports of shots fired when they found the two civilians on the ground.
The suspect is in custody in hospital and being treated for "severe" injuries sustained during the incident, but he has not been named. The investigation into the shooting has been taken over by the RCMP, Canada's federal police force.
A local TV reporter said he had heard four gunshots just after 07:00 (11:00 GMT).
Nick Moore, a journalist from CTV Atlantic, posted video footage of the scene on Twitter, showing emergency vehicles outside a house.
Skip Twitter post by @NickMooreCTV I just spoke with a woman and her small child who’ve been escorted from their home in the cordoned-off area. The woman says she heard what sounded to be multiple gunshots a little after 7am @CTVAtlantic — Nick Moore (@NickMooreCTV) August 10, 2018 Report
"Awful news coming out of Fredericton," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. "My heart goes out to everyone affected by this morning's shooting. We're following the situation closely."
Fredericton is the capital of New Brunswick province and home to around 56,000 people.
It is rare in Canada for police officers to be killed in the line of duty. Between 1961 and 2009, a total of 133 police were killed, and just five in the province of New Brunswick.
In 2014 24-year-old Justin Bourque shot five RCMP officers in the province, killing three. The shooting spree led to a 28-hour manhunt, and shocked the nation. In the aftermath, the RCMP was charged with labour-code violations alleging police officers had not been adequately armed and protected for the situation.
Gun laws are more stringent in Canada than in the US, but the number of shootings has nonetheless risen in recent years.
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Lawrence Robert Costello and Sara Mae Burns among four people who died in shooting that took place just after 7am Friday
Four people, including two police officers, were killed in a shooting in the eastern Canadian city of Fredericton, the latest in an eruption of gun violence that has prompted calls for weapons bans.
Police said they received reports of shots being fired in the north end of the city just after 7am on Friday. Two officers arrived on the scene soon after and found two victims, an adult male and female, lying on the ground.
“When they approached the victims, they were shot at as well,” said Martin Gaudet of the Fredericton police.
The two officers were identified by police as Lawrence Robert Costello, 45, a 20-year veteran of the force and father of four, and Sara Mae Burns, 43, who had been with the force for two years after serving as an auxiliary officer and was a mother of three children.
“This is the worst moment for any chief of police in any police agency to have to deliver this news,” said Leanne Fitch, Fredericton’s police chief.
Police offered few other details regarding the shooting; declining to name the two civilians killed or specify whether any others had been injured. A regional hospital said it was treating multiple people as a result of the shooting.
Police said officers fired at this suspect before entering an apartment and making an arrest.
A 48-year-old man from Fredericton was taken into custody on Friday morning and is being treated for serious injuries stemming from the incident, they added. Police declined to name the suspect or detail whether he was known to police.
The shooting has rocked the city of 58,000 people, where residents woke up to news of a police lockdown, warned to avoid the area and stay in their homes.
Police also asked social media users to refrain from giving details online of the the position or activities of police or first responders.
A resident, David MacCoubrey, told the Canadian Press he was woken at 7am by three gunshots, which sounded as if they were fired 10 metres from his bed. Over the next 90 minutes or so, he heard more than 15 other gunshots.
The gunfire appeared to be coming from the middle of his apartment complex, which consisted of four buildings in the shape of a square, he said.
The complex has seen fights unfold from time to time but never anything like this, resident Justin Mclean told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “I just woke up and heard gunshots and I looked outside my window,” he said. “There was basically three dead people laying there. It wasn’t a pretty sight.”
Play Video 0:52 Witness to Canada shooting recounts moment he heard guns – video
The shooting plunged the nation into shock, Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, said in a statement. “We mourn with everyone who has lost a friend, colleague, or family member, and wish those injured a speedy and full recovery.”
He joined the many paying tribute to the fallen police officers. “They did not think twice about what they had to do to keep their fellow Canadians safe. They were unflinching in their duty,” Trudeau said. “We will not forget the two fallen police officers whose sacrifice no doubt saved lives and prevented even greater tragedy.”
Outside the Fredericton police station, residents left flowers and messages of support for the close-knit police force as they reeled from the loss of two of their colleagues.
“Our hearts are broken by the murder of our two brave police officers,” Mike O’Brien, Fredericton’s mayor, said in a tweet.
“As mayor, this is something I never wanted to live through,” he later told reporters. “In this community we grieve together, but we’ll heal together as well.”
'Why does anyone need a gun?': Toronto shooting prompts calls for handgun ban Read more
The incident brought back memories of 2014, when three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were killed and two others wounded in a mass shooting in Moncton, New Brunswick.
While gun laws in Canada are far more strict than in neighbouring United States, a a proliferation of weapons has left Canada wrestling with a string of violent incidents in recent years.
Most recently a gunman opened fire on a busy Toronto street last month, killing two people and wounding 13 others before turning his weapon on himself.
Toronto, Canada’s largest city, has had 241 shooting incidents so far this year, resulting in 30 deaths, a 30% increase in fatalities over the same period as last year.
Bill Blair, the federal minister tasked with tackling gun violence, said officials are considering giving provinces the power to designate gun-free cities.
“It’s possible that we could work with the provinces and territories and allow them the authority to designate certain municipalities as places where guns could not be purchased or possessed,” Blair told Reuters.
At least four people, including two police officers have been killed in a shooting in the eastern Canadian city of Fredericton, with one person having taken into custody.
Police in Fredericton, a city of about 56,000 that is the capital of the province of New Brunswick, have a 48-year-old suspect in custody.
Fredericton's deputy police chief Martin Gaudet said the two the officers saw two deceased civilians before being shot and killed themselves. Police chief Leanne Fitch identified the two officers as Sara Burns, 43 and Robb Costello, 45. Ms Burns was married and had three children, and Mr Costello had a partner and four children.
The two other victims are yet to be identified.
"Awful news coming out of Fredericton," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter. "My heart goes out to everyone affected by this morning's shooting. We're following the situation closely."
Three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were killed and two more were wounded in 2014 in Moncton, New Brunswick, about 195 km (121 miles) from Fredericton, in one of the worst incidents of its kind in Canada.
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At least four people were killed in a shooting incident in the eastern Canadian city of Fredericton, police said on Friday. The Fredericton police said in a post on Twitter the incident was ongoing and there were multiple fatalities. The police urged people to stay inside and lock doors. In 2014, another mass shooting in New Brunswick led to the deaths of three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers and the wounding of two more in Moncton. At the time, the incident was one of the worst of its kind in Canada, where gun laws are stricter than they are in the United States and deadly attacks on police are rare. But a proliferation of weapons has led to an increase in gun crimes in recent years. Last month, a gunman walked down a busy Toronto street, killing two people and wounding 13 before turning his gun on himself. On Thursday, Ontario pledged more money for police and to keep suspects behind bars while they await trial on gun crimes charges, as the Canadian province grapples with rising shootings involving domestically obtained weapons. The shooting took place on Brookside Drive, according to police, who told residents to stay away from the area. Police have told residents not to call the police station directly and instead call 911. "Due to the volume of calls, please refrain from calling the police station directly, and in case of emergency continue to call 9-1-1," they wrote on Twitter. A local resident told Canada's CBC News that they heard a sound something like a firecracker. "With the tempo, it might've been a gunshot," he said. "It was sort of like a pop, pop, pop, pop." The area the shooting took place is a quiet-looking residential street, with houses running along the road. The incident is thought to be contained to those houses for now. Fredericton firefighters have asked local residents not to report the locations of police in the area. "Police, Fire and ANB responding to an active incident," they wrote on Facebook. "Please avoid the area of Brookside Dr between Ring and Main. Stay in your house and businesses. Lock the doors and do not use social media to report on police locations. Please help keep everyone safe." Police have echoed that warning – stressing that the location of first responders must not be published online. "IMPORTANT: Please do not post information about the position or activities of police or first responders," the force wrote onTwitter. "We are still working an active incident. We will release confirmed information as soon as we can." The incident comes just a couple of weeks after another deadly shooting in Toronto. You can read more about that incident here Here's where Fredericton is in the context of Canada. Police have one suspect in custody, they have reported on Twitter. Police wrote on Twitter: "At this time we can confirm that we have one suspect in custody. Police continue to have the Brookside area contained for the foreseeable future as the investigation is ongoing. Please continue to avoid the area and follow us for the facts." Further details of the incident are arriving from residents, via Press Association: David MacCoubrey, who lives in Fredericton, said he woke up in his apartment on Brookside Drive at around 7am local time to the sound of three gunshots 10 metres from his bed. Mr MacCoubrey said more than 15 other gunshots were subsequently fired between that time and around 8.30am. He says his apartment complex has four buildings in a square, and it sounded like the shots were coming from the middle of the complex. Mr MacCoubrey said police have been searching the complex and he has been sitting on the floor of his home away from windows. Important to note that the police are still warning people to stay out of the area, despite having one suspect in custody. But they are also referring to the incident as an "active investigation". As police are investigating the shooting, they report the area of Brookside is contained and have cautioned people to "please continue to avoid the area," Fredericton police said. The city has approximately 60,000 people in the province of New Brunswick. Canadian police say two of the four killed in Fredericton shooting are police officers. Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau responded to the incident via Twitter. It is the second mass shooting to take place in Canada in just the last few weeks. The last one resulted in two deaths and 13 people injured in the Greektown section of Toronto, prompting the city council to vote overwhelmingly in favour of asking Mr Trudeau's government to ban all sales of handguns and handgun ammunition in the city. Back in 2014, three Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers were shot dead and two others seriously injured by 24-year-old shooter Justin Bourque in Moncton, also located in the maritime province of New Brunswick. It was the first homicide in Moncton in four years, but not the deadliest incident for the RCMP. In 2005, James Roszko of Mayerthorpe in the Alberta province, shot and killed four RCMP constables as they were carrying out a property seizure on his farm. It stands as the deadliest incident for the RCMP in Canadian history. Police have not yet released the names of the slain police officers who were killed during a shooting earlier this morning in an apartment complex in the Brookside area of Fredricton, New Brunswick in eastern Canada. Bill Henwood, a funeral director at York Funeral Home, whose business is located inside the cordoned off area on Brookside Drive in Fredericton, said the lockdown occurred before anybody got to work.
Mr Henwood told the Associated Press people are sitting in their cars or just standing near the blockade of police and fire vehicles "hanging tight and waiting for word" on what comes next.
"All the businesses even on the outside of the lockdown area have their lobbies and their business areas closed. They aren't letting customers in at the moment," he said. Mr Henwood said the situation is a shock.
"It's not something that we expect in Fredericton to wake up and hear about. To see that there's actually fatalities is pretty extraordinary for this area. It doesn't normally happen." New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant tweeted his condolences to the victims and their families. Next
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Four people, including two police officers, were killed in a shooting in the eastern Canadian city of Fredericton and one person was taken into custody, police said on Friday.
Police in Fredericton, a city of about 56,000 that is the capital of the province of New Brunswick, said in a post on Twitter that the incident was under investigation and there were multiple fatalities.
Another police tweet said two of the four people killed were police officers but gave no details and did not release the names of the victims. The suspect is being treated for serious injuries.
Local media images showed emergency vehicles converging on a tree-lined residential street. Nearby facilities were closed and authorities told residents to stay locked in their homes.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were assisting Fredericton authorities.
