Two high profile cases at once is a rare thing in a rural community, but police in Nova Scotia's Pictou County are dealing with both a murder investigation and the disappearance of a 19-year-old woman.

The RCMP and local police services are now working together on both cases.

"Both agencies are working together because simply, this is a rare occurrence in Pictou County, and both agencies are working together to solve both crimes," says Const. Ken MacDonald, a spokesman with New Glasgow Police.

MacDonald says police were investigating whether there might be a connection between the two cases, but today he says they have ruled that out.

Police in Trenton are still searching for a gunman after 44-year-old Edward William Phalen was shot to death just metres from his home in the small town Tuesday night.

Police responded around 8 p.m. after a number of 911 calls came through reporting that shots had been fired outside of 22 Mechanic Street. Phalen lived at 26 Mechanic Street.

CTV News spoke with Darrell Buell, the uncle of Phalen's wife. Buell says Phalen was walking downtown to buy a pack of cigarettes, but he never returned.

"He was on his way back from the store," says Buell. "He just went down the street, got a pack of cigarettes, pulled in the yard and…there was two loud bangs I guess."

Buell says the victim's wife was inside their home when she heard the shots, and when she looked out the window she saw her husband lying on the road. She then called 911.

"That must have been an awful thing to see," says Buell. And them four little kids there."

Buell says the couple has four children under the age of 10, and they were all home at the time of the shooting.

He also says his niece and her family had just moved into the home, and he has no idea why someone would want to kill his niece's husband.

Police have said very little about possible leads or suspects, but there is no one in custody at this time.

Officers blocked off several streets surrounding the area Tuesday night and they were not allowing vehicles within the perimeter to leave as they attempted to track down the suspect.

They were also checking cars in the neighbourhood and went door-to-door asking if neighbours had seen anything suspicious.

Police continued to canvass the area and check the backseats and trunks of cars as they drove in and out of the town Wednesday morning. Checkpoints were set up at Main Street, Park Road and Trenton Road but they have since been taken down. Mechanic Street was also closed to traffic for several hours.

Schools in Trenton were kept on lockdown throughout the day on Wednesday as police searched for the suspect.

Carolyn Pierce, a spokeswoman for the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board said Trenton Elementary School and Trenton Middle School kept their doors locked and students were kept inside at recess and at lunch as a precaution.

Many Pictou County residents expressed their shock about the incident on Facebook as the news spread, especially since the shooting comes roughly two weeks after a 19-year-old girl disappeared from a nearby New Glasgow pool hall.

Amber Kirwan hasn't been seen since October 9 and police continue to investigate her disappearance.

MacDonald says that police are asking hunters to be vigilant and to watch for anything suspicious as hunting season begins. He says hunters should contact the police if they find anything unusual in the woods that may be connected to the Kirwan case.

"We know that hunting season starts tomorrow and there's going to be a lot of folks that are going to be in the woods," says MacDonald. "If they notice anything suspicious, or any items related to both cases, to contact police."

Investigators say they are also looking to speak with anyone who may have seen a suspect fleeing the Mechanic Street area Tuesday night. Anyone with information is being asked to call New Glasgow Police, RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh and Kayla Hounsell