Four people, including two police officers, were killed in a shooting in eastern Canada on Friday in the latest eruption of gun violence across the country that has led to calls for weapons bans in cities, Reuters reported.
Police in Fredericton, a city of about 56,000 that is the capital of the province of New Brunswick, said a suspect was taken into custody and was being treated for serious injuries.
Witnesses said the shooting occurred at an apartment complex, and local media images showed emergency vehicles converging on a tree-lined residential street. Nearby facilities were closed and authorities imposed a lockdown for residents before issuing an all-clear message.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters he could not discuss details of the latest shooting. He said the police were assisting Fredericton authorities in the investigation.
“We’ll see where this investigation leads in terms of what exactly happened, who did it, what was the motivation for doing it and the instruments of destruction that were used,” he said.
“But broadly speaking, the government of Canada is obviously taking the issue of gun violence very seriously.”
Gun laws in Canada are stricter than in the United States but a proliferation of weapons has led to an increase in gun-related crimes in recent years.