Gunman kills 2, injures others at Canadian lumber mill

USPA News - A former employee opened fire at a lumber mill in British Columbia on early Wednesday morning, killing two people and injuring two others, Canadian authorities said. The gunman was quickly taken into custody but the motive was not immediately known.

The incident happened at around 6:58 a.m. local time when police received multiple 911 calls about shots being fired at the Western Forest Products Mill in Nanaimo, a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The first police officer arrived at the scene just three minutes after the first 911 call. "A lone male suspect was arrested without incident a few minutes later by an Emergency Response Team member," said Commander Superintendent Mark Fisher of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). "Police officers also quickly worked to search the entire building for additional threats and injured victims. No other suspects were found." Fisher, who identified the suspect only as a 47-year-old male resident of Nanaimo, said there was no indication that anyone else was involved in Wednesday`s shooting attack. "At this time it appears the suspect, now in custody, acted alone," he said, emphasizing that the investigation was still in its early stages. Two people were killed in the shooting while two others were injured, including one who was in a critical condition. "The families and mill employees will now have to cope with the tragedy that unfolded here today. As does the community of Nanaimo," Fisher said. "It`s going to be a challenge, but as detachment commander, and a long-time resident of Vancouver Island, I can confirm this type of violence is extremely rare." British Columbia Premier Christy Clark described the shooting as a "horrible tragedy" in a statement to the region`s legislature. "This kind of tragedy is almost unknown in British Columbia. Most of us here today cannot imagine what the victims and their families must be going through," she said. "They should know they are not alone. The people of British Columbia are standing with them."