Four killed in Canada school shooting
January 22, 2016
A deadly shooting at a grade 7 to 12 school in the remote community of La Loche has left four dead and two seriously wounded, police said Saturday.
The shooting occurred at around 1:00 p.m. Friday local time (1900 UTC) and a suspect is in custody. A teacher and a teaching assistant were among those killed.
"Obviously this is every parent's worst nightmare," Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said from the Swiss resort of Davos, where he is attending the World Economic Forum. "The community is reeling," he added.
Premier delivers grim news from Davos
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Supt. Maureen Levy said the gunman was arrested outside the school but declined to provide information about him.
Levy did not to release more details, saying the investigation was still in its early stages. She declined to give the gender or ages of the deceased.
Teddy Clark, chief of the Clearwater River Dene Nation, said that victims had been airlifted to hospitals in other communities.
"I know there are some casualties, and there are some people that are in critical condition that are being medevac'd to the nearest cities - I would imagine Fort McMurray or Saskatoon," he told public broadcaster CBC.
"Words cannot express my shock and sorrow at the horrific events today in La Loche," Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said in a statement. "My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims, their families and friends and all the people of the community."
La Loche is a remote aboriginal community of about 3,000 people about 850 kilometers (528 miles) northeast of Calgary.
Unlike its southern neighbor, mass shootings are relatively rare though not unheard of in Canada. Friday's incident is the deadliest in a decade.
jar/bw (AP, Reuters)