A motive for the shooting was not immediately known, but the 24-year-old suspect, Justin Bourque, apparently posted a series of anti-police and anti-gun control references on his Facebook page. There were also references on Bourqueâs page to the widening gap between rich and poor and an anti-Semitic cartoon, depicting a hook-nosed Jacob Rothschild with beady eyes and huge teeth.
Bourqueâs last post contained the lyrics of the Megadeath song, “Hook in Mouth,” that read eerily like a suicide. It was posted shortly before the shooting.
âEver think maybe it was meant to be this way?â the lyrics read near the end.
âDonât try to fool us, we know the worst is yet to come.
âI believe my kingdom will come.â
One of Bourqueâs Facebook friends replied as news of the shootings spread across the country: âYou knew this wasnât the answer.â
In a Facebook post dated March 26, Bourque shared a photo from the gun advocacy group Cold Dead Hands that depicted a mushroom cloud along with the words: âSo youâre okay with the government having the weaponry to annihilate all life on earthâŠ. But youâre upset I have a rifle that holds 30 rounds?â
âShare this with any gun grabber you know,â Bourque wrote. âThen to all of your friends who support the second amendment, so they can share it with all the gun grabbers they know.â
In another post, he shared a post from the Libertarian Party of Canada: âI SAW A MOVIE ONCE WHERE ONLY THE POLICE AND THE MILITARY HAD GUNS. IT WAS CALLED SCHINDLERâS LIST.â
In a photograph released by Canadian authorities that shows Bourque on the day of the shooting, he is dressed in green camouflage fatigues and carrying what appears to be a semi-automatic rifle in his right hand and another rifle slung over his shoulder.
Thatâs the scene police officers encountered when they responded to a call at 7:20 last night of a heavily armed man wandering through the north side of Moncton in New Brunswick, according to CBC News.
The gunman cut through Vanessa Bernatchezâs backyard as she watched the deadly scene unfold from an open window on a hot evening. She told CBC News that it looked like a police officer didnât see the shooter until he opened fire.
âIt was too late,â she said. âHe went down. We knew it was over.â
As the search for Bourque stretched into the night and the next morning, schools were closed, public transportation was shut down and mail service in the area was cancelled.
Police released few details about Bourque, who was last seen in a wooded area near a subdivision.
âI lost three friends,â Damien Theriault, a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told CBC News. âAnd now we need to pull together and locate this individual as quickly as possible to ensure everyoneâs safety.
âWe are professionals,â he continued. âAnd we have a job to do right now. We will have time to grieve after.â