Man arrested over fatal Canadian police shootings

A man suspected of killing three Canadian Mounties and wounding two others has been arrested after a day-long manhunt.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman Paul Greene said Justin Bourque (24) was arrested in Moncton, New Brunswick at about 12.30am (5.30am GMT).

Michelle Thibodeau said she saw a man arrested in the front garden of her home in New Brunswick and heard him say, "I'm done" before he was seized by armed officers.

Police, including tactical officers, began their search for the shooter after responding to a call about a man walking along a road with a gun. After the call, shots were fired and officers called for back-up.

A motive for the shootings was not known and Bourque’s neighbours described him as a withdrawn man who collected guns and was an avid hunter of birds, deer and moose.

Bourque, who was armed with high-powered firearms, was spotted three times yesterday, but still managed to elude the massive manhunt that all but shut down the city of 69,000 people about 250km east of the US border at Maine.

Bourque was wearing military camouflage and carrying two rifles in a picture released by police on Twitter.

During the manhunt, Conrad Gagnon (53) said he spotted the suspect while playing a video game in his living room. "It was like he was meditating on something and talking ... like somebody on drugs and living in his own world," he said.

Shortly afterwards Mr Gagnon said he heard gunfire. “I heard five or six shots, and after that another five or six shots,” he said.

Kerry Fitzpatrick said he met Borque in 2010 when they were both working at the same warehouse and they lived near each other.

Mr Fitzpatrick said he had not seen him much since he left that job two years later, but stopped at Bourque's home five days ago after hearing he had found a new job at a food depot.

Bourque lived in a trailer home with a male room-mate, Mr Fitzpatrick said.

"He seemed fine, it was a normal conversation," Mr Fitzpatrick said, but added Bourque "obviously had things on his mind" based on a stretch of recent Facebook posts about guns and the police.

“It was never something that we took serious because we actually know him, as friends,” he said. “He lost it. The guy lost it.”

The three officers were the first Canadian police killed in the line of duty since March 2013, when a police officer in northern Quebec was shot after responding to a domestic violence call.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police website, the last officer to die from a gunshot wound was on November 5th, 2007.

RCMP commanding officer Roger Brown said the two wounded officers underwent surgery for non-life-threatening injuries and he met their families. One was later released from hospital.

“The RCMP family is hurting. As is Moncton, New Brunswick and our country,” Mr Brown said.

Canada’s parliament observed a moment of silence and the flag on Parliament Hill flew at half-mast.

AP