Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canada Border Services Agency alerts guards to look out for wanted Maine gunman

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Oct, 2023 10:33 AM
  • Canada Border Services Agency alerts guards to look out for wanted Maine gunman

The Canada Border Services Agency issued Thursday an "armed and dangerous" alert to officers stationed along the Canada-U.S. border, warning them to be on the lookout for the man suspected of fatally shooting 18 people in southern Maine.

The shootings were reported Wednesday night in Lewiston, about 260 kilometres southwest of the New Brunswick border.

A police bulletin identified the suspect as 40-year-old Robert Card, a firearms instructor believed to be in the U.S. Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.

As a massive search continued for Card, residents of southern Maine were told to lock their doors and remain inside.

The CBSA said it was working with Canadian and U.S. law enforcement partners, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and RCMP to "protect Canada's borders against any threat or attempt at illegal entry."

The Canadian border agency said its "Armed and Dangerous – Firearms lookout" alert was sent to all its officers through an internal system, and the agency added that all entry points along the Canada-U.S. border remain open.

In Calais, Maine, which shares three border entry points in and near St. Stephen in southwestern New Brunswick, U.S. officers have set up checkpoints on the American side to screen vehicles before they enter Canada, said Allan MacEachern, the mayor of St. Stephen.

Normally, vehicles headed into New Brunswick aren't checked until they reach the CBSA entry point on the Canadian side.

"We also have officers set up on the Canadian side," MacEachern said in an interview. "We also alerted the community through our alert app system ... I've witnessed that setup before for other things."

Meanwhile, the horror of the shootings was reverberating in Nova Scotia, where residents were recalling how a man disguised as a Mountie fatally shot 22 people three years ago, the worst mass shooting in modern Canadian history.

On Facebook, Nova Scotia resident Nick Beaton posted an image of Maine's coat of arms. Beaton's 33-year-old pregnant wife, Kristen, was shot to death on April 19, 2020, as she sat in her car in Debert, N.S.

In response to Beaton's post, Jennifer Zahl Bruland posted images of three broken hearts. Her father and stepmother — John Zahl and Joanne Thomas — were shot in their retirement home in Portapique, N.S., on the night of April 18, 2020.

The public inquiry that investigated the Nova Scotia murders determined that the shooter, Gabriel Wortman, had smuggled three semi-automatic guns from Maine. Two were handguns he obtained from a friend in Houlton, Maine, and the third was a rifle he bought with the help of a U.S. citizen attending a gun show in Maine.

The final report from the public inquiry, released in March of this year, described how red flags about the killer failed to stop any of his illegal activities during his 21 border crossings between Woodstock, N.B., and Houlton between 2016 and 2020.

In New Brunswick, the RCMP issued a brief statement Thursday saying the police force was monitoring the situation in collaboration with Canadian and U.S. partners.

"Our thoughts are with the citizens of Maine, and everyone affected by this event," RCMP Cpl. Hans Ouellette said in the statement.

Maine shares 18 official entry points with New Brunswick, and another six with Quebec, according to CBSA's website.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

BC leg Fall session starts tomorrow

BC leg Fall session starts tomorrow
The fall session of the legislature begins on Tuesday and the B-C government says homes, clean energy and public safety will top the agenda. House Leader and Minister of Housing, Ravi Kahlon says several pieces of legislation will be introduced during the seven week session, including plans to resolve zoning and permitting challenges and boost the supply of middle-income housing.

BC leg Fall session starts tomorrow

Orange Shirt Day march at UBC

Orange Shirt Day march at UBC
A march will be held on the University of B-C's Point Grey campus tomorrow in honour of Canada's third Truth and Reconciliation Day. The march also honours those who suffered at -- or did not come home from -- Indian residential schools in B-C and across the country.  

Orange Shirt Day march at UBC

The Canadian Inflation Struggle Balancing Everyday Expenses and Housing Costs

The Canadian Inflation Struggle Balancing Everyday Expenses and Housing Costs
Surely, Canadians, particularly those with lower incomes, are grappling with the impact of rising prices. A recent report shedding light on how inflation is affecting both the Canadian economy and households reveals that inflation began to rise in early 2021 and reached its highest point in four decades last year. 

The Canadian Inflation Struggle Balancing Everyday Expenses and Housing Costs

Man dies in Edmonton mall parkade after standing up through car sunroof: police

Man dies in Edmonton mall parkade after standing up through car sunroof: police
Edmonton police say they are investigating the death of a man in a mall parkade after he stood up through the sunroof of a car and was struck by a beam. Officers responded to the call Thursday at West Edmonton Mall.

Man dies in Edmonton mall parkade after standing up through car sunroof: police

B.C. issues certificate for contentious Roberts Bank terminal expansion project

B.C. issues certificate for contentious Roberts Bank terminal expansion project
The British Columbia government has issued an environmental assessment certificate for the contentious container port expansion project at Roberts Bank, saying the province "could not prohibit the project from going forward." In a written statement, the government says the three-berth marine container terminal in Delta, B.C., south of Vancouver, rests almost entirely on federal land.

B.C. issues certificate for contentious Roberts Bank terminal expansion project

Friend of slain B.C. Sikh advocate says police warned him of threat after killing

Friend of slain B.C. Sikh advocate says police warned him of threat after killing
A member of the Surrey, B.C., gurdwara where local Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar served as president before he was gunned down in June said police warned him last month about a threat to his life. Gurmeet Toor, who calls himself a close friend of Nijjar, said he was surprised when two police officers knocked on his door at around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 24 and handed him a "duty to warn" letter saying his life may be in danger.

Friend of slain B.C. Sikh advocate says police warned him of threat after killing