Bourque, 24, is suspected of leading a shooting spree Wednesday evening in the northwest area of the city in which three officers were killed and two wounded.
A Twitter message from the New Brunswick Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced: Residents of north Moncton can now leave their homes.
Justin Bourque arrested by RCMP at 12:10 in Moncton. He is in police custody. Residents of north Moncton can now leave their homes.
— RCMP New Brunswick (@RCMPNB) June 6, 2014
Word about the shooter’s arrest became public knowledge quickly via social media. Twitter user Michelle Thibodeau tweeted Bourque was arrested on her front yard in North Moncton. She wrote at 11:03 p.m. ET:
The swat team arrived at my house and unloaded and started screaming in my backyard for him to surrender and he did. I watched it happen.
— michelle thibodeau (@YourMichelle) June 6, 2014
She later tweeted: They had him sprawled on my front lawn for some time and then loaded him into the swat vehicle. They are now checking my yard for firearms.
Her account has not yet been verified by a third party.
Police are calling Wednesday the “darkest day” in the RCMP’s history in New Brunswick, according to CTV News.
“This is working through your worst nightmare,” New Brunswick RCMP Commanding Officer Roger Brown told a news conference Thursday morning.
CTV News confirmed the identity of one of the three killed RCMP officers as Const. Dave Ross.
One of the two injured officers has been released from hospital, RCMP Cpl. Chantal Farrah told media, but the other remains hospitalized.
Digital Journal also viewed unconfirmed footage of Bourque’s arrest, which allegedly shows the 24-year-old suspect being taken into a police vehicle. The video is too grainy to verify Bourque’s identity.