Fredericton Canada shooting: Robb Costello and Sarah May Burns identified as two police officers killed with 48-year-old suspect in custody

Shots fired in Fredericton, Canada

At least four people, including two police officers have been killed in a shooting in the eastern Canadian city of Fredericton, with one person having taken into custody.

Police in Fredericton, a city of about 56,000 that is the capital of the province of New Brunswick, have a 48-year-old suspect in custody.

Fredericton's deputy police chief Martin Gaudet said the two the officers saw two deceased civilians before being shot and killed themselves. Police chief Leanne Fitch identified the two officers as Sara Burns, 43 and Robb Costello, 45. Ms Burns was married and had three children, and Mr Costello had a partner and four children.

The two other victims are yet to be identified.

"Awful news coming out of Fredericton," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter. "My heart goes out to everyone affected by this morning's shooting. We're following the situation closely."

Three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were killed and two more were wounded in 2014 in Moncton, New Brunswick, about 195 km (121 miles) from Fredericton, in one of the worst incidents of its kind in Canada.

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Key Points

• Police warn residents not to post the location of first responders on social media
• Local resident told reporters he heard a sound like a firecracker
• Where is Fredericton in Canada

[10 August 2018 13:11 · Andrew Griffin]

At least four people were killed in a shooting incident in the eastern Canadian city of Fredericton, police said on Friday.

The Fredericton police said in a post on Twitter the incident was ongoing and there were multiple fatalities. The police urged people to stay inside and lock doors.

In 2014, another mass shooting in New Brunswick led to the deaths of three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers and the wounding of two more in Moncton. At the time, the incident was one of the worst of its kind in Canada, where gun laws are stricter than they are in the United States and deadly attacks on police are rare. But a proliferation of weapons has led to an increase in gun crimes in recent years.

Last month, a gunman walked down a busy Toronto street, killing two people and wounding 13 before turning his gun on himself.

On Thursday, Ontario pledged more money for police and to keep suspects behind bars while they await trial on gun crimes charges, as the Canadian province grapples with rising shootings involving domestically obtained weapons.

[10 August 2018 13:18 · Andrew Griffin]

The shooting took place on Brookside Drive, according to police, who told residents to stay away from the area.

[10 August 2018 13:19 · Andrew Griffin]

Police have told residents not to call the police station directly and instead call 911.

"Due to the volume of calls, please refrain from calling the police station directly, and in case of emergency continue to call 9-1-1," they wrote on Twitter.

[10 August 2018 13:22 · Andrew Griffin]

A local resident told Canada's CBC News that they heard a sound something like a firecracker.

"With the tempo, it might've been a gunshot," he said. "It was sort of like a pop, pop, pop, pop."

[10 August 2018 13:25 · Andrew Griffin]

The area the shooting took place is a quiet-looking residential street, with houses running along the road. The incident is thought to be contained to those houses for now.

[10 August 2018 13:26 · Andrew Griffin]

Fredericton firefighters have asked local residents not to report the locations of police in the area.

"Police, Fire and ANB responding to an active incident," they wrote on Facebook. "Please avoid the area of Brookside Dr between Ring and Main. Stay in your house and businesses. Lock the doors and do not use social media to report on police locations. Please help keep everyone safe."

[10 August 2018 13:29 · Andrew Griffin]

Police have echoed that warning – stressing that the location of first responders must not be published online.

"IMPORTANT: Please do not post information about the position or activities of police or first responders," the force wrote onTwitter. "We are still working an active incident. We will release confirmed information as soon as we can."

[10 August 2018 13:32 · Andrew Griffin]

The incident comes just a couple of weeks after another deadly shooting in Toronto. You can read more about that incident here.

[10 August 2018 13:34 · Andrew Griffin]

Here's where Fredericton is in the context of Canada.

[10 August 2018 13:47 · Andrew Griffin]

Police have one suspect in custody, they have reported on Twitter.