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“At that time, officers were unable to locate the suicidal male in question, but upon entry, discovered the bodies of seven deceased individuals; three adult females, two adult males and two children, one female and one male.”

The body of the police were searching for was recovered from the Vietnamese restaurant in Fort Saskatchewan.

“Units from all over the city are involved. The RCMP is involved as well,” police spokesman Scott Pattison said Tuesday.

Downtown Fort Saskatchewan was completely blocked off Tuesday morning, while the RCMP Major Crimes Unit assisted the Edmonton Police Service in an Edmonton-based homicide investigation.

“The identities of the deceased are not being released at this time, until cause of deaths can be determined, identities can be confirmed and next of kin can be notified,” the police said.

Fort Saskatchewan’s downtown core was reopened to pedestrian and vehicle traffic around 10 a.m., police said, but a heavy police presence surrounded VN Express, a Vietnamese restaurant near 102 Street and 100 Avenue. The restaurant is surrounded by police tape, with windows smashed and front doors broken down. The open sign is still flashing. Forensics officers could be seen entering the restaurant with evidence tags.

Laurie, an employee at Auntie Sue’s Restaurant across VN Express, said she heard a commotion outside the restaurant at 6:30 a.m. She saw a heavy police presence, including a SWAT team, a robot and a police dog. An officer yelled through a megaphone to someone inside the restaurant, telling them to “Come out with your hands up.”