Seven adults and two children have been found dead in the
Canadian city of Edmonton after a man carried out what
police called a "senseless mass murder" linked to "extreme
domestic violence".
The gunman is believed to have killed himself after the
murders. Police are not looking for any other suspects.
The incident unfolded in three different locations in Edmonton,
in the western province of Alberta.
Seven bodies were found in the same house, police chief Rod
Knecht said.
Two "very young" children are among the dead, Mr Knecht
said.
He said it was the worst mass killing in Edmonton since six
people were killed in 1956.
"It appears to be an extreme case of domestic violence gone
awry," he told a press conference, describing the killings as
"planned and deliberate".
"This series of events are not believed to be random acts, and
there is no risk to the broader public. These events do not
appear to be gang-related, but rather tragic incidents of
domestic violence."
Police say that the gunman used a stolen 9mm handgun and
later killed himself at a restaurant north of Edmonton. They
have only released the names of one of the victims and have
not detailed the relationship between the shooter and his
victims.
Mr Knecht said that the man who committed suicide had a
criminal record going back to 1987.
'Depressed man'
Police discovered the body of a woman, Cyndi Duong, 37, at a
house in south Edmonton at 18:00 local time on Monday
(01:00 GMT Tuesday), he said.
Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht said it was a "tragic day"
for the city
They later responded to reports of a despondent and
depressed man at an address in north Edmonton at around
20:30 but were unable to find him.
But when they returned at about midnight after receiving new
information they found seven bodies - three women, two men
and two children.
Mr Knecht said that the house where the seven bodies were
discovered presented his officers with a "horrific and chaotic"
scene - the worst crime he had dealt with in 39 years of
policing.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, they found a body
matching the description of the suicidal male at a restaurant
25 miles (40km) north-east of Edmonton.
He said police would not be releasing the names of all the
victims or the killer yet.
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