Police charge 17-year old in Canada after 4 shot dead

The suspect, a 17 year-old boy whose identity can not be revealed because he is underage, would appear in court next week, added the RCMP.

Canadian police confirmed the teenager faces four first-degree murder charges and seven charges of attempted murder after the shooting at a house and school in La Loche.

He can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Residents placed candles and flowers in the snow in a makeshift memorial outside the grade 7-to-12 La Loche Community School in the Dene aboriginal community of La Loche in Saskatchewan Province.

Police then went to a nearby home, where they found Dayne Fontaine, 17, and Drayden Fontaine, 13, dead.

A graduate of the school just two years ago, Janvier returned to work this year as a teacher’s aid.

A second victim was identified as 35-year-old Adam Wood, a new teacher at the school.

You can read MyToba’s coverage from Friday here, or Saturday morning’s developments here.

“We have experienced similar tragedies far too often in the United States and understand all too well the heartache and sadness that result from such a horrific event”, he said.

Wood had just started teaching in La Loche in September and has been described as an “adventurous spirit, ‘ with a ‘huge heart”.

La Loche student Noel Desjarlais told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that he heard multiple shots fired at the school, which has about 900 students.

The isolated town of La Loche, in the province of Saskatchewan, and its neighbouring Clearwater River Dene Indian reserve, six hours away from the nearest commercial airport, has neither restaurants nor recreation centres and scant jobs.

Four people were shot dead, including teenage brothers at home, and a teacher and tutor at the high school.

If we exceed our goal, the rest of the money will go to the La Loche Community School to help their students and staff cope with this tragedy…

“My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims, their families and friends and all the people of the community”, Brad Wall, the Premier of Saskatchewan, posted in a message on Facebook.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it “every parent’s worst nightmare”. In recent years, the village has struggled with unemployment as well as education, mental health and housing issues.

“There has been some cutting back of programs these last couple of years that has had a direct effect on our schools and people of La Loche“.

On Sunday he is travelling to La Loche to meet with the community and First Nations leaders to assess what is needed short-term, midterm and long-term.

“It was really hard on her”, said Lemaigre, whose grandchildren were also in the school.

The Ecole Polytechnique massacre prompted the federal government to significantly restrict Canada’s gun laws, especially, the sale of semi-automatic weapons and military-style assault rifles with large capacity magazines.

“Like a lot of places in Canada, there are many reasons why – centuries of reasons why things are the way they are in that community, ” said Morrison referring to the community’s notoriety for violence and high suicide rates.