Last night , I constantly heard an unusual large number of police sirens running by my street. It was soon after when I got the news that 3 RCMP(Royal Canadian Mounted Police Office) officers were shot dead and 2 others wounded by a lone gunman ,24 y/o Justin Bourque here in Moncton,New Brunswick,Canada. The shooting happened in the neighborhood next to my place.
Justin Bourque, a former Walmart employee,was reportedly known as an avid gun fanatic,anti-gun ban believer and has a great dislike with police figures as evidenced in his Facebook page. Witnesses reported that he left the crime scene calmly,wearing camouflage clothing,holding 2 hunting rifles,some knives and a crossbow. Reports that he’s hiding in a nearby wooded park (Pinehurst Park) has prompted the Mounties(popular monicker for the RCMP) as well as neighboring police jurisdictions to come in and provide police reinforcement. The manhunt is still ongoing as I’m writing this blog and a police press conference is due at 9:45 am EST today to inform the public of any updates. The city of Moncton is still on partial lockdown. I now see a good number of police cars patrolling my area often since this early morning. I have been glued to the TV and online to get the latest news as well.
The repercussions of extreme caution already came into play since last night and even up to this morning so far as long as the manhunt is still ongoing. It’s quite obvious that Justin Bourque,a Monctonian just like me,is quite familiar as to which hiding place he can go to for the past 12-14 hours.
Buses were taken off the streets. Mail delivery was suspended today to ensure the mail carriers’ safety,Businesses ,schools and other non-essential services are suspended today until further notice. The public was advised to stay indoors and keep the doors locked as much as possible. If anyone has spotted Justin Bourque to please call 911. Any other info on this heinous crime, to call Crimestoppers(a local crime fighting task force in coordination with the RCMP). The public was also advised not to disclose any police operations on social media in case the gunman has access to social media so as not to preempt any advanced tactic from the gunman.
I’m pretty good where I am(right here at home) with a well-stocked pantry and praying that this crisis will finally end . It just goes to show you that you never know what life can throw at you. You’ll just have to swing it and make the most of it. It makes me rethink what my real life priorities are right now.
I just want to let my readers and followers know that the city of Moncton is a very friendly place with a very low crime rate. This heinous event isn’t a real reflection of the entire city. I guess that there’s always a lunatic in any place in this world. Just the thought that the crime literally happened very near to me in a very safe part of the city just goes to show you that there are no real guarantees in life.
This whole incident reminds me of the shooting deaths of 4 RCMP officers in Mayerthorpe,Alberta by a lone gunman on March 3,2005.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the 3 deceased RCMP officers.
My thoughts also on the RCMP trying to do their job in getting the culprit as well as dealing with grief for their fallen comrades. Not only are they doing this for justice but I’m pretty sure that it’s quite personal for them too.
Josie
josiesvoice 