Two of the four people killed in a shooting in the Canadian city of Fredericton, New Brunswick, are police officers.
Fredericton police said one suspect is in custody, and they are not releasing the names of the killed officers yet.
The shooting happened in an apartment complex.
Of the four people killed in this morning’s shootings on Brookside Drive, two were Fredericton Police officers. No names are being released at this time. Please appreciate this is a difficult time for their families and our colleagues. We will provide more info when we can.
— Fredericton Police (@CityFredPolice) August 10, 2018
David MacCoubrey, who lives in Fredericton, said he heard about 20 shots and hid on his kitchen floor
“I’m on my floor,” he said in a phone interview. “The cops have come through my place. They have searched all the apartments in the building. It sounded like it started in the courtyard area.”
He awoke in his apartment on Brookside Drive at around 7am local time to the sound of three gunshots 10 meters from his bed.
He said police have been searching the buildings, and he has been sitting away from windows.
“It’s not something that happens here regularly,” he said.
UDPATE: 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.
— Fredericton Police (@CityFredPolice) August 10, 2018
Travis Hrubeniuk, who lives nearby, said his fiancee had just left for work at around 745am when he began hearing a steady stream of sirens.
Mr Hrubeniuk said residents have been advised to stay inside with their doors locked. The quiet residential neighbourhood, which has houses, grocery stores, a church and an elementary school, is the last place Mr Hrubeniuk said he expected to encounter a dangerous situation.
“This is the first time I’ve even heard of any serious crime or violent crime in this city,” he said.
In 2014, a shooting in Moncton, New Brunswick, left three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers dead and two wounded.
Fredericton has a population of about 58,000 and is located just north-east of Maine.
On behalf of all New Brunswickers, I offer my condolences, thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families. During this difficult time, our thoughts are also with the courageous women and men on the front lines working to keep us safe.
— Brian Gallant (@BrianGallantNB) August 10, 2018
At this time, I would ask New Brunswickers, particularly those in areas identified by police, to keep informed about the situation as it develops and follow the instructions of law enforcement officials working in the area.
— Brian Gallant (@BrianGallantNB) August 10, 2018
New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant tweeted his condolences to the victims and their families.
He said: “During this difficult time, our thoughts are also with the courageous women and men on the front lines working to keep us safe.”
Bill Henwood, a funeral director at York Funeral Home, whose business is located inside the cordoned off area on Brookside Drive, said the lockdown occurred before anybody got to work.
Mr Henwood said 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.”
