Suspect in shooting of two Canadian police officers found dead

The suspect in the shooting of two Canadian police officers in Western Canada's province of Alberta was dead, the police announced on Saturday.

The suspect was found dead inside an unoccupied private home in a rural area in northwest part of Edmonton, the police told news conference in the provincial capital of Alberta. They have tentatively identified the man but had not released his name.

The man had forced his way into his home after fleeing the scene of the shooting at the Apex Casino in Edmonton, according to the police.

After the shooting, the police tracked the suspect to the residence in Sturgeon County, east of St. Albert in northwest of Edmonton and found his body when they entered the residence, said Marlin Degrand, criminal operations officer with the Alberta police department. The cause of death and identity of the man had yet to be released but it was possible of a suicide.

The two police officers were shot inside the casino around 3 a.m.on Saturday as they were called to investigate a stolen vehicle in the parking lot near the casino, Degrand said.

He also said the two police officers were seriously wounded and hospitalized, one in critical condition.

"This incident serves to remind us of the dangers that our front-line responders everywhere face in the performance of their duties," he said. Enditem