Fresh trauma four years after Moncton

FREDERICTON — Family members of three RCMP officers killed in a 2014 Moncton attack say the Fredericton shooting deaths will bring a fresh wave of trauma to New Brunswick — and bring painful memories to the surface for many.

The shootings that killed four people on Friday — including two municipal police officers — come just four years after Justin Bourque’s rampage that killed Constables Doug Larche, Fabrice Gevaudan and Dave Ross.

Daniel Larche, the brother of Doug, said news of the Fredericton deaths are difficult to hear.

“I can empathize with what these people are about to go through and hopefully they’ll have the support and some of the tools they need to get through it,” the 46-year-old said. “It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be hard for them.”

Constables Eric Dubois and Darlene Goguen were also injured when Bourque went hunting police officers in a Moncton neighbourhood on June 4, 2014. Bourque had targeted police in the hopes of sparking an antigovernment rebellion.

Angela Gevaudan, the widow of Fabrice Gevaudan, said that she was feeling a sense of protectiveness on Friday for the families, knowing how they will be overwhelmed by emotions as they receive news of the deaths.

They will need to just receive simple information for a time, as they struggle to process the shock of the deaths of their loved ones, she said.