BREAKING: More Than 3 Dead, Several Injured Following Mass Shooting In A Town In Canada
A mass shooting which occurred in eastern city of Fredericton, Canada has left four people including two local police officers dead and several others injured as confirmed by the police.
Though the suspect has been arrested, however Canadian broadcaster CBC said that the shooting happened in a residential area of the city north of downtown, and that heavily-armed police, paramedics and firefighters were on the scene. CBC quoted Robert DiDiodato, who lives in the area, as saying he heard a series of “firecracker” sounds around 7 am.“With the tempo, it might’ve been a gunshot,” he said. “It was sort of like a pop, pop, pop, pop.”
Police also pleaded with social media users to refrain from detailing the position or activities of police or first responders online.
Resident David MacCoubrey also told the Canadian Press that he woke up at 7am to the sound of three gunshots, which sounded as if they were being fired 10 meters from his bed. During 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 consists of four buildings that sit in a square, he said.
“Awful news coming out of Fredericton,” the 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.”
Gun laws in Canada are stricter than in the United States but a proliferation of weapons has led to an increase in gun crimes in recent years. In 2014, three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were killed and two others wounded in another mass shooting in the small east coast province.
Last month, a gunman walked down a busy Toronto street, killing two people and wounding 13 others before turning his weapon on himself. Toronto, Canada’s largest city has had 241 shooting incidents this year, resulting in 30 deaths, a 30% increase in fatalities.
