Vancouver(Canada): Four people were shot today at a lumber mill in British Columbia and a suspect was arrested, police and a union official said.
Four victims have been hospitalized with unspecified injuries, Royal Canadian Mountain Police Superintendent Mark Fisher said. One of the victims was airlifted to a hospital.
Police received a call at about 7 a.M. Saying shots had been fired at the Western Forest Products mill in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island.
Police say they arrived at the mill within minutes and arrested the suspect.
Police hadn`t released any information about the victims, the suspect or a potential motive for the shooting.
Sarah Plank of the Island Health Authority confirmed one person was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital, where the victim`s condition was listed as critical. Another was at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in stable condition, she said.
Pat Kinney of the United Steelworkers union, confirmed the shooting happened at the mill, which the union represents.
"At this point, we don`t know if there are any fatalities or the status of the individuals," he said. "We don`t have any names either at this point. (There has been) no mention of the shooter other than he has been apprehended."
At the mill, crying family members had gathered outside the facility, awaiting word about whether their loved ones were involved. One worker said the mill`s employees had been sent home for the day.
The Mounties were expected to hold a news conference in Nanaimo later today morning. Such public shootings in Canada are rare.
In March, a man was shot and killed after opening fire in a courthouse just outside Toronto, injuring a police officer.
