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Trudeau meets with shooting victims’ families

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met Sunday with the families of victims of a fatal shooting in eastern Canada -- but said "now is not the time" to discuss gun control.

(FILES) In this file photo Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Brussels on July 12, 2018. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday refused to apologize for calling out Saudi Arabia on its human rights record, after Riyadh said it was considering further punitive measures against Ottawa over its criticisms of the kingdom. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Tatyana ZENKOVICH

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met Sunday with the families of victims of a fatal shooting in eastern Canada — but said “now is not the time” to discuss gun control.

Matthew Vincent Raymond, 48, opened fire in the sleepy city of Fredericton, New Brunswick, early Friday, killing four people, including two police officers.

Trudeau met the families privately, and laid a wreath at a makeshift memorial in front of the city’s police headquarters.

“This is a moment to remember the two brave officers who fell in the line of duty and the other two victims and all of their families and the communities that are pulling together,” he said.

“Obviously, reflecting on this loss, but remembering that resilience comes from leaning on each other and being there for each other.”

Raymond, who was injured and hospitalized, was charged with four premeditated homicides, though police did not provide details of his motives.

The incident sparked panic in the city as Canada grapples with rising gun violence, with some calling for a handgun ban.

When questioned on gun control, Trudeau said there would be “time to reflect on what we need to be doing to ensure the safety of citizens and their communities.”

But he added: “Now is not the time to be talking about that.”

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