At least 17 people were killed in a shooting rampage in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Sunday, police said.

The dead included a 23-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as well as the shooter, according to The Washington Post.

The attacks took place in the Portapique area of the province, about 130 km north (80 miles) of the provincial capital of Halifax.

The RCMP identified the officer who had been killed as Constable Heidi Stevenson, a 23-year veteran of the force and a mother of two. They identified the suspect as Gabriel Wortman, 51.

In tweets while Wortman was still at large Sunday morning, police warned of an active shooter who might be wearing what appeared to be an RCMP uniform and driving what appeared to be an RCMP vehicle. Police said the suspect was not a member of the RCMP.

The incident appeared to have begun Saturday night. In a tweet shortly after 10:30 p.m., police said they were responding to a “firearms complaint” in the Portapique area and asked people to stay in their homes and lock their doors. Police reiterated that request in subsequent tweets Sunday morning.

The background to the rampage is not yet clear.