A man has died and a police officer is in hospital with serious injuries after a shooting in Truro early Saturday morning.
Police say the RCMP officer was taken to hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by a suspect vehicle he was trying to stop in downtown Truro around 2:30 a.m.
While the officer’s injuries are being described as non-life-threatening, they were serious enough to put him in a medically-induced coma.
"The officer ended up on the hood of the vehicle and the vehicle was speeding off, and the officer fired his service pistol to stop the threat," said Felix Cacchione, director of the Serious Incident Response Team, which investigates serious incidents involving police.
It's still unclear how many times the officer fired his weapon, but police confirm the driver of the vehicle was shot, and died at the scene.
A portion of Willow Street was blocked off to the public for a better portion of Saturday as evidence was collected and an investigation was underway.
Police say the car was originally reported stolen from Cumberland County, and was spotted several times in the Truro area. They added this was not the first time officers tried to stop the vehicle and apprehend the suspect in the pursuit.
"This wasn’t an isolated incident," said Cpl. Jennifer Clarke. "I know it sounds fairly isolated in the information that we can provide right now."
"There were several attempts that were made to locate the vehicle, and several cues that the police officers, in general, may have taken from the situation that helped the police officer get to that decision."
RCMP is investigating the theft of the vehicle. SIRT is also investigating in regards to the officer who fired his weapon.
"We have to speak to any potential witnesses that were in the vicinity, or observed anything," said Cacchione. "We're canvassing any businesses for closed circuit camera footage. Anything that will assist us and all of that takes time."
SIRT will also look at forensic evidence and autopsy reports from the deceased driver of the stolen vehicle.
The driver has not been identified, but police report he is an adult man.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Emily Baron Cadloff
