A man was arrested and taken into custody for allegedly firing two shots near the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Thursday in the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia. Police chief Bob Rich said he believes that the man was targeting officers, but the incident had not turned violent when the man encountered them, according to the Huffington Post. Abbotsford RCMP officer Lindsey Houghton was one of the members involved in the shooting and shot the suspect.
The incident began with a 911 call about a man wielding a gun with no weapons at the residence on the 300 block of Cornwall Road, located southwest of Abbotsford in the city of 6,900. The RCMP arrived on the scene and found an adult male with a handgun matching the description of the suspect’s firearm, according to a statement by the Abbotsford Police Department, as reported by the Boston Globe. However, the suspect fled the scene when police arrived and began firing at officers.
Houghton returned fire, as did the other officer who was involved in the shooting, whose name has not been released, the Guardian reported. The pair shot the suspect, whose identity has not been released, and called for assistance from local emergency response units and Surrey RCMP’s tactical unit.
The incident is now being investigated by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, Canadian media outlet Global News reported. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the national law enforcement agency for the country and the busiest organization in the country.
In a statement released by the RCMP, Houghton said, “I can confirm that during the police contact that occurred at the 300 b.c. block of Cornwall Road. I fired two rounds that struck the suspect.” He added, “After being struck, the suspect fired several more rounds, striking vehicles and my vehicle. The suspect was then shot multiple times by members of the tactical unit, and will be transported to hospital, where he will remain under medical supervision until the completion of his investigation.”
As police search for a motive, it’s possible that another shooter was involved in Thursday’s shooting. For now, Rich appears to believe that the suspect was on a mission to target the local Mounties, according to the Globe. “It appears to have been a targeted incident,” he said. “At this point, we’re not sure if he knew they were there.”
Read the full story at the Guardian.
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