Two men were killed Friday in a shooting at a home daycare in Gatineau, Que. that police say may have been related to a dispute between a couple who was in the process of separating.
All the children at the daycare were safely evacuated and unharmed during the incident.
Gatineau Police have identified one of the two men who died as Robert Charron, but would not say whether he was the shooter.
One of the men killed was a daycare worker.
Around 10:30 a.m. Friday, a man carrying a shotgun entered the Racines De Vie daycare in a residential area of Gatineau and began threatening staff.
Gatineau Police Chief Mario Harel said when police arrived, they found the gunman dead, with his shotgun beside him. One of the male workers at the daycare was also dead.
Police are not releasing any information about either man until they contact family members. But Harel said it appears the incident was fuelled by a domestic dispute.
“We are investigating the possibility that this event was related to the recent separation between a couple. Right now, that is the context of the investigation,” Harel said.
He wouldn’t say how the gunman was connected to staff at the daycare or whether he knew any of the children. It isn't clear whether any of the children witnessed the shooting.
None of the children were harmed. Harel praised daycare staff for safely evacuating all the children out of the daycare into a neighbour’s home during the incident.
“Gatineau Police want to acknowledge the great reaction of daycare personnel who secured the kids inside both houses and proceeded to a neighbour when they were evacuated by police officers,” Harel said.
“We want to thank the neighbours for taking care of all the kids.”
At least 12 police vehicles arrived on scene and helped to reunite the children with their parents to take them home.
One parent said he was “feeling good that everybody is okay.”
Police set up yellow police tape to cordon off the area, which was lined with squad cars and vans and emergency vehicles for most of the day.
The daycare provides care for 53 children in two houses: 48 older children in one home, and five babies and toddlers in the other.
With a report from CTV Ottawa
