Four People Dead In Fredericton, Canada, Shooting

Four people, including two police officers, are dead after a shooting in the city of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, reports the Express. Fredericton is a city of around 56,000 residents. This act of gun violence happened only three weeks after another gunman walked down a street in Toronto, killing two people and wounding another 13 before turning the firearm on himself.

The shooting in Fredericton has led to an eruption of renewed calls for a weapons ban in Canadian cities. Police say they have a suspect in custody who is being treated for serious injuries. Canada does in fact have stricter firearms laws than the United States, but the country is finding an increase in gun-related crimes in recent years, which is alleged to be in relation to a proliferation of weapons, says the Express.

The year 2014 saw three officers in Canada killed, with two more wounded. This occurred in Moncton, New Brunswick, an area which is only 121 miles from Fredericton. The particular incident in Moncton is seen as one of the worst incidents in Canada, claim reports.

A manager of a golf course in Fredericton told journalists about his thoughts on this latest shooting, as well as how he sees this rise of gun violence globally.

“You hear a lot about gun violence in the US, but what’s starting to sink in is that those noises were people losing their lives. To have it happen so close to us is shocking. Now we’re becoming the story that nobody wants to hear.”

Another resident of the city, Marlene Weaver, said she was in bed the morning of this shooting in Fredericton, and she heard shots being fire. She described her fear to reporters, saying, “It was scary. It takes you back to the shooting in Moncton.”

Police have released a statement remarking that among the four people killed, two were police officers, but as of now, no names have been released to the public. Authorities have sent out their appreciation and sympathies to the families and colleagues affected by this shooting.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the public, saying that his “heart goes out to everyone affected.” During the incident, authorities imposed a lockdown on the residents of Fredericton, with emergency vehicles lining residential streets.

Toronto, the largest city in Canada, has had 241 shooting instances this year, reports the Express, having resulted in 30 deaths. After the recent shooting in Toronto, the city council has voted overwhelmingly to urge Canada’s federal government to ban the sales of all handguns citywide.