Canada shooting: Suspected cop killer surrenders, victims identified

More than a day after Canadian police launched a massive manhunt for a shooter who killed three officers, authorities early Friday arrested the man believed to be responsible for the shootout in a residential neighborhood.

Justin Bourque, 24, was arrested at 12:10 a.m. local time in Moncton, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported on Twitter. The town of around 70,000 residents is in the province of New Brunswick, where homicides are rare.

Police have also identified the three officers who were allegedly gunned down on Wednesday.

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FOR THE RECORD

An earlier version of this post misspelled Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Marlene Snowman’s first name as Marelene.

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Marlene Snowman, RCMP superintendent, said Bourque was arrested “without incident” in a wooded area. While officers recovered several weapons in the area, Bourque was not armed at the time of his capture.

“While our members are deeply affected by this tragedy, I am proud of the dedication and professionalism that has been evident throughout this ordeal,” she said in statement.

Criminal charges are pending.

Bourque allegedly shot five mounties, killing three, Wednesday night.

Police tweeted a picture of Bourque wearing military fatigues and carrying two assault rifles at the time of the shootings.

Asked for a reaction to the news, Daniel Bourgeois, who is on the Moncton City Council, told the Los Angeles Times: “Relief!”

The manhunt for Bourque shut down a good portion of Moncton, affecting about 2,000 residents. Police searching for Bourque, who was believed to be armed with rifles, knives, crossbows and other weapons, asked residents to lock their doors. take shelter and not report police movements on social media.

On a Facebook page believed to belong to Bourque, posts expressing anger about anti-gun legislation and law enforcement officials remained public Thursday.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Roger Brown, who oversees the Moncton division, identified the three deceased officers Friday as Constables Fabrice Georges Gevaudan, 45, David Joseph Ross, 32, and Douglas James Larche, 40.

Larche had been with the department for more than 10 years, and received a commendation for saving the life of an unconscious baby in 2008, Brown said in a statement. Ross, a Quebec native, had joined the department in 2007 and Gevaudan graduated from the academy in 2008, Brown said.

“My thoughts and prayers remain with the families and loved ones of these fallen officers who died in the line of duty and our recovering officers,” he said in the statement.

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