Fredericton shooting: Two police officers among four dead in Canada gun attack

Residents say they heard the shots shortly after 7am on Friday morning

Two police officers are among the four people killed during a shooting in the City of Fredericton.

Fredericton police said they would not be releasing the names of the officers at this time.

"Of the four people killed in this morning's shootings on Brookside Drive, two were Fredericton Police officers," the Fredericton Police Department tweeted. "No names are being released at this time. Please appreciate this is a difficult time for their families and our colleagues. We will provide info when we can".

The police department also confirmed that one suspect is in police custody, and that the area where the shooting occurred has been "contained for the foreseeable future as the investigation is ongoing".

It is not immediately clear what may have prompted the shooting in the city, which has just under 60,000 residents and is situated in New Brunswick, the southeastern province of Canada.

Eyewitnesses have said that dozens of shots were fired just after 7am local time on Friday, and that the residential area where the shooting occurred was evacuated just before 9am. Others indicated that they heard what sounded like "firecracker" noises during what was apparently the shooting.

"I looked out the window and there were three police cars on the street just across from where I live," Christopher Gill, a resident who lives in an apartment near where the shooting occurred, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "I saw one cop just standing against the building ... like he was waiting for somebody to come out".

As police began their investigation, Horizon Health Network tweeted that Dr Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital is on high alert, and was ready to receive any victims of the shooting. It is not clear if any injured people were transported there.

The premier of New Brunswick, Brian Gallant, offered his condolences to the families and victims, tweeting: "During this difficult time, our thoughts are also with the courageous women and men on the front lines working to keep us safe".

"On behalf of all New Brunswickers, I offer my condolences, thoughts, and prayers to the victims and their families," he wrote.