Canada in massive manhunt for cop killer

Scores of Canadian police scoured a city in the eastern province of New Brunswick on Thursday (05/06/2014), hunting for a man believed to have shot dead three officers and wounded two others in a brazen attack.

Residents were told to remain in their homes in Moncton behind locked doors, as police searched for the alleged shooter, 24-year-old Justin Bourque, who was described as armed and dangerous.

"Stay home, stay safe. If you cannot get home, seek out a friend or family and remain there until you are advised otherwise," Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police told residents to stay inside and barricade their doors as they combed a wooded, northeast neighborhood.

"If you live in the marked area stay inside/lock doors. Roads blocked. Traffic disrupted. Avoid area," the RCMP tweeted.

Schools as well as some businesses, shops and public services will stay shut as the manhunt continued in this city of 70,000 where the streets were largely deserted, according to local television footage.

The RCMP released a photo of the suspect dressed in military fatigues and carrying two firearms.

The suspect used those guns when he confronted police with in a street in Moncton on Wednesday evening, killing three officers and wounding two.

The wounded cops were in stable condition, said Dhany Charest, a surgeon in the city of 70,000.

Initially, a third person was reported wounded but it later turned out this was in an unrelated incident.

On what appears to be his Facebook page, the suspect posted extracts from a song by American heavy metal band Megadeth just before the shooting.

He took letters from the refrain of the song and spelled out the letters of the word freedom and ultimately wrote, "this spells out FREEDOM, it means nothing to me."

The exact circumstances of the shooting were not clear. Local media said the shooter opened fire in cold blood in a residential area of the city.

RCMP spokesman Damien Theriault said authorities wanted to end the manhunt as soon as possible. He gave no details on the shooting spree.

Canada prides itself on being largely free of the gun violence that regularly plagues cities in the neighboring United States.

Provincial premier David Alward said, "I was shocked and saddened to learn of tonight's tragic situation in Moncton."

"On behalf of all New Brunswickers, I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to those affected," he added. - AFP