Former RCMP Superintendent Garry Clement knows all too well what the Fredericton Police Force is dealing with.
Friday, four people were gunned down in the city’s north end. Two of the victims have been identified as police officers.
READ: 2 Fredericton police officers among 4 people killed in shooting, suspect in custody
Clement was chief of police in Cobourg, Ont. when a police officer was brutally murdered more than a decade ago.
He says this is a “very difficult time” for everyone within the police department.
WATCH: ‘I saw 3 bodies laying there’: witnesses react to Fredericton shooting’
“These situations unfortunately rip the heart and soul out of both the police department and the community in which they occur,” said Clement.
READ: A timeline of the Fredericton shooting that killed 4 people, including 2 officers
Clement says the Fredericton Police are considered an average-sized police department and that everyone in the community would likely know the officers who were killed.
“Most of the officers know each other, the senior command would know these officers and so it’s one of those things. They have to rise above it, carry on with their job and be objective but at the same time, police officers are human beings and it’s a very difficult situation,” he said.
“It’s the worst part of the job but it happens and you have to rise above it.”
WATCH: Coverage of the Fredericton shooting
Clement says even though it’s difficult to deal with a tragedy like this, most officers know they have a job to do.
“That’s not to say that they’re not going through all kinds of emotions and doing a lot of questioning but the reality of it is, the job continues,” said Clement.
“I think that demonstrates how professional police officers are today.”
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Clement says the case will likely now be handled by major crime and be treated like any other murder investigation.
“As hard as this is going to be, you take the emotions out of it and you carry on as if it is a crime scene and treat it accordingly.”