Story highlights Alberta premier extends condolences to people affected by the slayings

Family feared suspected killer was suicidal, police say

9 bodies found at three crime scenes in western Canada

Police chief says it was a domestic dispute

(CNN) A man described by his family as "depressed and overly emotional" is suspected of killing eight people before taking his own life, police in Edmonton, Alberta, said Tuesday at a press conference.

Seven of the victims, including two children, were found inside a house in north Edmonton, said Edmonton Police Chief Ron Knecht.

"This series of events are not believed to be random acts and there is no risk to the broader public," he said. "These events do not appear to be gang related but rather tragic incidents of domestic violence."

This is the worst mass violence in Edmonton, a city of about 812,000 people in the western Canada province of Alberta, since six people were killed in 1956, Knecht said.

Knecht said none of the victims have been identified, but all are connected.

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