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'Senseless mass murder' rocks Edmonton

Nine people, including two children, have been killed in three related incidents in the western Canadian city of Edmonton in what appears to be a mass murder-suicide.

Edmonton police said they were investigating "a multiple homicide scene."

"It is a tragic day for Edmonton and our thoughts go out to the community as we all come to terms with the senseless mass murder of eight people," Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht said.

Police were first called to a residence in south Edmonton around 7pm local time after a man entered the home and shot a woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

They were later called to check the welfare of a man at another home but when they arrived the man wasn't there.

"According to family, the male seemed depressed and overly emotional," Knecht said.

"The family was concerned that the male may be suicidal."

Police investigate the scene where multiple deaths occurred overnight in Edmonton, Alberta. Photo: AP/The Canadian Press, Jason Franson
Police investigate the scene where multiple deaths occurred overnight in Edmonton, Alberta. Photo: AP/The Canadian Press, Jason Franson

When police returned to the property around midnight, they discovered the bodies of seven more people - three women, two men and two children - believed to be a young boy and girl.

Just hours later, police found a vehicle matching the description of one owned by the male outside a restaurant. Inside the restaurant, the male was found dead.

Mass killings are nearly unheard of in Edmonton, a city of 878,000 people which had 27 homicides in 2013.

The city is the capital of the province of Alberta, whose oil sands are the largest source of US crude oil imports.

The killings are among the worst crime Edmonton has seen since June 2012, when Travis Baumgartner killed three fellow armed guards as they reloaded automated teller machines in the city.

Edmonton City Police Chief Rod Knecht speaks about multiple homicides that took place at different scenes overnight. Photo: AP/The Canadian Press, Jason Franson
Edmonton City Police Chief Rod Knecht speaks about multiple homicides that took place at different scenes overnight. Photo: AP/The Canadian Press, Jason Franson

In April, five people were stabbed to death in nearby Calgary, Alberta in that city's worst mass murder.

CBC said police were treating eight of the nine deaths in Edmonton as homicides.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

Morning news break – December 31