At 7:20 pm Wednesday night, five Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) responded to a phone call reporting an armed man, wearing camouflage, traipsing about a small neighborhood in Moncton, New Brunswick. At 8:30 pm, photographer Daniel St. Louis arrived on the scene and was immediately shocked by what he saw.
“I walked over and I saw two feet, facing the street, toes up. I realized, ‘Oh my God. There’s somebody down.’ As I got close, I realized it was an officer and this is not a good situation.”
St. Louis’s assessment could not have been more accurate.
The RCMP are still looking for the suspect, 24-year-old Justin Bourque. Bourque is being pursued for the killing of three police officers and the wounding of two more. At the time, not much is known about the suspect. Police are asking his family and others to volunteer all the information they have on the suspect, however.
In the meantime, the RCMP continues to ask people to remain inside their homes and to stay vigilant: “The suspect is being pursued, he is well armed and extremely dangerous. Know that we have and will continue to bring the full weight of the RCMP to the task of catching this person, and looking after our people,” informed Commissioner Bob Paulson in a statement Thursday.
To ensure that everyone is as protected as possible, the RCMP tweeted a map of the area in which the shooter has been spotted, along with a picture of the suspect.
Perimeter (as per map) is still in place as police continue to search for Justin Bourque. #RCMPNB #codiacrcmp pic.twitter.com/NeNdJgpC4P
— RCMP New Brunswick (@RCMPNB) June 5, 2014
Codiac RCMP are searching for 24-y-o Justin Bourque of Moncton. Anyone with information call 9-1-1. http://t.co/JCcJyixfce
— RCMP New Brunswick (@RCMPNB) June 5, 2014
Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc expressed his disbelief of the scenario which has unfolded, stating, “Never in my darkest dreams did I think we would be facing what we’re facing today in Moncton.”
The same sentiment was shared by St. Louis: “Our quiet little city, what is going on here? How is this happening to us? It always happens to somebody else.”
The attack against the police in Moncton is the largest such attack against the RCMP since 2005, when a man shot and killed four mounties in Alberta – the most devastating attack against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 120 years.
Image via YouTube