A shooting incident has left four people dead including two civilians and two police officers in eastern Canada. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick.
Eyewitnesses said they heard as many as 20 gunshots following a confrontation that prompted police to initially cordon off a large section of the city with emergency vehicles and order residents to remain inside their homes and businesses.
The Police reported that one of the suspects in the shooting is being treated for severe injuries alongside several other victims at a regional hospital in Canada.
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The Police further assured the public through its twitter account that an investigation was underway and there was no further threat to the public.
Canada rarely experiences gun violence and is more or less a conservative country compared to its neighbor, the United States of America.
Fredericton Mayor Mike O’Brien expressed his condolences on twitter, tweeted his condolences, saying “our city sends its love and support to all. Our hearts are broken by the murder of our two brave police officers. In this time of shock and grief, let us all protect their families.”
“Two civilians also tragically lost their lives today. Our city sends its love and support to all. We grieve as one. #FrederictonStrong”
Residents of Fredericton, a city of about 60,000 said they were stunned by the scene, which occurred as people were heading to work or dropping children at a daycare centre not far from the apartment complex where the attack took place.
According to a resident, Travis Hrubeniuk, “This is the first time I’ve even heard of any serious crime or violent crime in this city.”
Another resident, Bill Henwood, whose funeral business is located within the incident area on Brookside Drive, disclosed that people either sat in their cars or were just standing near the blockade of police and fire vehicles “hanging tight and waiting for word“.
“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.”
This attack comes after an attack in Toronto last month where an armed man opened fire on a crowd killing two people and wounding 13 others before being killed by the police; Canada rarely experiences gun violence.