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2 arrested after 2 people shot in Fredericton-area mini-home park

2 arrested after 2 people shot in Fredericton-area mini-home park

RCMP said greater Fredericton area residents could return to normal activities after two people were shot early Friday morning.

Police said they arrested a 22-year-old man outside the city, and called off an emergency alert that warned of armed and dangerous individuals. The alert had been in effect for a little over two hours.

RCMP also confirmed that Fredericton police had arrested a second person earlier Friday.

The two shooting victims were in stable condition, and their lives are not at risk, police said. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Hans Ouellette said he cannot share any more information about them, including age and gender.

The initial emergency alert warned residents of multiple armed and dangerous people. Police believed multiple people involved in the shooting had fled the scene in a Honda Civic, Ouellette said

Police found the Honda Civic at Longs Creek, about 32 kilometres southwest of Fredericton. The 22-year-old man was found with the car and was the only person arrested there.

Ouellette said there is no active alert for anyone else right now.

Shane Fowler/CBC
Shane Fowler/CBC

'This is, really, a quiet neighbourhood'

Resident Elgina Duffy woke up to her phone buzzing with calls and texts from friends and family concerned for her safety. When she looked out of her window, she saw her neighbour's front window had been shattered, with police surrounding it.

"I was surprised," she said. "This is really a quiet neighbourhood, like there's nothing ever goes on in here."

Her road was barricaded all morning, but people were still able to drive in and out, she said.

Shane Fowler/CBC
Shane Fowler/CBC

Christine Storey-Weunsch lives behind the home in question. She woke up to sounds of sirens, and saw police officers surround the area behind her house. She said police asked her to stay home for the whole morning.

She said she felt scared and surprised when she saw the scene.

"To be that close, to see something like that going on in our neighborhood. Yeah, very scary, especially when your bedroom is like only 50 feet away," Storey-Weunsch said.

Shane Fowler/CBC
Shane Fowler/CBC

A 10-hour long chase

The incident began at 4:30 a.m. AT when both Fredericton Police Force and RCMP officers were dispatched to Leafwood Drive in the Hanwell and Pine Grove Mini-Home Community after reports of a shooting.

Part of the park sits inside Fredericton city limits, and parts of it are outside the city, in Hanwell.

Residents of the area had received different messages from the two police forces during the day, with different indications about the threat to public safety.

Around 7 a.m., RCMP tweeted they were responding to a shooting, and people should avoid the area. They added that they will send out an emergency alert "should there be a need."

At around 9 a.m., Fredericton police Chief Martin Gaudet said the incident was "not an active shooter situation," and the shooting was "very specific."

He also said one person had been arrested and another was barricaded. As of Friday afternoon it is still not clear what happened to the barricaded person.

Fredericton police spokesperson Sonya Gilks said the victims and alleged shooters were known to each other, and police did not believe the shooting was random.

Police evacuated some people's homes, and others were asked to shelter in place.

Emergency alert issued

At 10:50 a.m., RCMP issued an emergency alert warning of armed and dangerous individuals connected to the Hanwell case.

The alert was issued because the people police believed responsible for shooting had fled the scene, RCMP said. The alert said the people were last spotted in a blue 2012 Honda Civic southeast of Fredericton, and residents should call 911 if they see them or their car.

After the alert was issued, francophone schools in the area went under hold and secure, meaning no one can enter or exit a building, but regular classroom instruction continued. Anglophone West students were not in school Friday, but some teachers were. The anglophone district put two schools on hold and secure.

At 12:30 p.m., RCMP cancelled the emergency alert, saying "the vehicle involved in the RCMP operation in the greater Fredericton area has been located," and "residents may return to normal activities."

And at 2 p.m., RCMP confirmed the emergency alert had concluded with two people arrested.

RCMP say they are still investigating the shooting, and thanked the public for being vigilant and keeping 911 lines clear when the emergency alert was still in effect.