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Manhunt in Canada: Three Mounties shot dead, two others wounded

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Canadian police are searching for a man who allegedly shot and killed three on-duty police officers and wounded two others Wednesday in New Brunswick province.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police have ordered a lockdown of several neighborhoods in Moncton, a city of 64,000, as they search for the gunman into the night.

As of 1:14 a.m. local time, police were ordering residents who live near the Moncton Coliseum to stay inside and leave their outdoor lights on as officers tracked the shooter, identified by police as Justin Bourque, 24, of Moncton.

About an hour later, police said they believed Bourque was in the Pinehurst subdivision and warned residents to stay locked inside.

Three officers were killed and two others sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said via Twitter. Law enforcement officials also urged residents not to post police movements on social media.

It was not immediately clear what led to the shooting or where exactly it took place. Police appeared to be tracking the suspect's movements for several hours, from late Wednesday night until early Thursday morning.

On social media, witnesses and the police shared information, including dramatic images of the alleged gunman walking in a neighborhood armed and in fatigues.

Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc told CBC-TV that he first heard of the attack on social media. He expressed deep sympathy for the families of the dead police offficers.

"You hear about these things happening other places," he said, urging residents to follow police instructions. "Moncton is such a warm and inviting community and it's impossible to fathom."

LeBlanc said he was confident the police would bring the manhunt to a successful end.

"I'm shocked and saddened to learn of tonight's tragic situation in Moncton. I extend my thoughts and prayers to those affected," New Brunswick Premier David Alward wrote on Twitter.

Killings are rare in Canada. In 2012, 543 homicides were reported in the nation of about 35 million residents. Just six of those took place in New Brunswick. In contrast, Los Angeles County, with about 10 million residents, had 660 homicides that year.

In 2005, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police suffered the worst loss in the history of the force when four officers were ambushed and killed at a farm in Mayerthorpe, in northern Alberta.

Follow @jamesqueallylat and @theryanparker for breaking news.

Update 11:17 p.m.: This post has been updated to include a police statement on the possible location of the shooting suspect.

Update 11 p.m.: This post has been updated to include comments from New Brunswick Premier David Alward.

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