Suspect in shooting had gun legally
Police body camera recorded fatal incident
•Police say a Fredericton man charged with killing four people Friday had a firearms licence, and the long gun allegedly used in the deadly shooting can be legally obtained in Canada.
Police Chief Leanne Fitch said Monday the long gun is commonly available for purchase, and is not a prohibited or restricted weapon.
At a news conference outside the Fredericton Police Department, she also said one of the officers that responded to the shooting at a north-side apartment complex was wearing a bodyworn video camera. She said the footage is part of the evidence being examined by a team of investigators.
Fitch added police officers in Fredericton are equipped with body armour and carbine rifles.
Friday’s shooting claimed the lives of Bobbie Lee Wright, Donnie Robichaud, and responding officers Const. Robb Costello and Const. Sara Burns.
On Monday, mourners continued to add flowers, notes and teddy bears to the memorial outside Fredericton’s police headquarters, as the usually placid New Brunswick capital grapples with the shooting deaths of four people, including two officers.
People dropped off coffee and snacks for officers, while others handed out cookies in the midst of the emotional crime scene.
Outside police headquarters, people stopped to sign a giant Canadian flag hanging outside the station or add to the growing memorial of flowers, cards, and messages that has been building since Friday.
Nancy Slade, back home for a visit from Petawawa, Ont., came to lay sunflowers with her six-year-old daughter, Molly, and three-year-old son, Dane.
Slade, the daughter of a Fredericton police officer who was friends with Costello, said she wants her kids to understand the sacrifice made by officers.
“It’s just not supposed to happen here,” she said, her voice catching. “It’s never happened here, so it’s just really hard.”
At city hall Monday, a steady trickle of visitors arrived to sign books of condolences for the fallen police constables.
Jane Abernathy, who lives in Fredericton, said she felt compelled to show her respect.
“Such a senseless tragedy, we never want this to happen again,” she said. “It was the least I could do, to sign my name.”
A public event planned for Monday evening, Hands and Hearts Across the City, asked residents to meet and join hands on the walking bridge spanning the St. John River as a tribute to the victims.
Fredericton police have announced that a regimental funeral “to celebrate the lives of our fallen members” will be held on Saturday at the University of New Brunswick.