Gatineau police ID 1 of 2 men dead in daycare shooting
Police in Gatineau, Que., have identified one of two men found dead following a shooting at a daycare on Friday morning.
Robert Charron was not a resident of Gatineau, police said. They did not say whether Charron was the shooter.
Daycare staff at 225 and 229 Gamelin St. called 911 at 10:27 a.m. ET Friday about a man who was threatening people, according to Gatineau police Chief Mario Harel, who spoke at a 2 p.m. news conference.
Police arrived at the scene at about 10:30 a.m. and entered the daycare soon after.
Officers quickly spotted a man lying on the floor with a shotgun lying beside him, Harel said.
Police are now investigating the possibility the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and that the shooting may be related to the breakup of a relationship.
The body of another man was found in another building at the same daycare. His identity has not been released, pending the notification of relatives.
Shots were fired in both buildings, police said.
Children and other daycare staff were quickly led to a neighbour's house, where food was provided until parents arrived.
Neighbours and daycare staff reacted well to the situation, Harel said.
It was initially reported that only one person was dead at the scene, and that no staff or children had been hurt.
Of the 53 children at the daycare, 48 were at 225 Gamelin, all under five years old, said Gatineau police spokesman Sgt. Jean-Paul Le May. There were also five infants at 229 Gamelin.
The home is registered as Les Racines de vie Montessori, a small daycare that opened within the past year, according to a provincial inspection report from September 2012.
Parents were asked to wait at a bus while police gathered the children.
While arriving at the scene, one parent said, "I can't believe the knot inside" her stomach.
The daycares are located in houses across the street from the Hull Hospital.
Hospital staff were seen bringing trolleys with lunches to the children as they waited for their parents.
The following Twitter blog followed CBC reporters covering the story as it developed.
