RCMP say an emergency alert covering the Halifax Regional Municipality has ended after a shooting suspect was taken into custody.
Late Saturday morning, RCMP issued an emergency alert over a dangerous man with a firearm who was believed to be in the woods behind the Sunnyside Mall in Bedford, N.S. This alert was for the community of Bedford only.
Halifax Regional Police initially reported via email that the suspect was believed to be involved in a shooting in Annapolis Royal, N.S. However, RCMP later clarified that the incident occurred in South Farmington, N.S., in Annapolis County. Police have not released further details about the shooting.
During the search, Halifax police had described the suspect as a 31-year-old white man, six feet three inches with brown hair and brown facial hair.
RCMP then expanded the emergency alert to cover all of the HRM around 12:15 p.m., but ended the alert just before 1 p.m. after the suspect was taken into custody.
Customers and staff were locked inside The Chickenburger restaurant on the Bedford Highway, next to Sunnyside Mall, as the search unfolded.
Emergency alert issued as shooting suspect arrested near Halifax
"There's all kinds of police presence, RCMP and Halifax Regional [Police], and there's the police helicopter going over and over," an employee named Loretta told CBC News.
Wyatt Verdonck, an employee at On the Wedge Pizza inside the mall, said staff sheltered in place after his manager closed the restaurant.
He said that while many people evacuated the mall, he believed the suspect wouldn't be able to enter the building.
"I felt pretty safe honestly, with all the police around here," Verdonck said.
Earlier Saturday, RCMP warned the public to look out for a grey Mazda with front-end damage and a broken rear window last seen in New Minas, N.S. Police later towed a matching vehicle from behind Sunnyside Mall in Bedford.
It remains unclear what investigation the Mazda is linked to, or whether the towed car is the same one seen in New Minas. CBC News has asked the RCMP for confirmation.
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