Psychiatric assessment for Mountie shooter

MONCTON, New Brunswick (AP) — A man charged with fatally shooting three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers and wounding two others last month will undergo a psychiatric assessment before returning to court.

Justin Bourque is facing three first-degree murder charges and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the June 4 shootings.

The shootings and ensuing manhunt brought the city of Moncton, New Brunswick, to a standstill until an arrest was made about 30 hours later.

Bourque, 24, appeared in court on Thursday but did not enter a plea on the charges.

Bourque’s lawyer, David Lutz, said he requested the psychiatric assessment after speaking to his client’s father. The prosecution agreed to the request. Bourque will return to court July 31.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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