Serial killings, arson sparks five-hour lockdown in Ontario

Ontario Provincial Police are searching for a 29-year-old man following a reported shooting, arson, and at least three alleged murders in Bracebridge, Ont., which forced residents to shelter in place.

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Ontario Provincial Police are searching for a 29-year-old man following a reported shooting, arson, and at least three alleged murders in Bracebridge, Ont., which forced residents to shelter in place for more than five hours.

In a Sunday news release, the police said they were called to a home on Beatrice Town Line Road just after 8 p.m. on August 1 following reports of gunshots. Upon arrival, investigators found a deceased man and a home fully engulfed in flames.

The search for a suspect then commenced, which prompted a shelter-in-place order for residents as police searched for “a potentially armed individual in distress.”

The order lasted until just before 2 a.m. when, on August 2, police determined there was no longer “an immediate threat.”

One day later, the provincial police noted the discovery of two more bodies at the original crime scene, which have yet to be identified. A post-mortem has been scheduled to determine their exact cause of death and identities.

The only suspect named by police is 29-year-old Mitchell Gray, who is described as approximately five-feet-eight with light brown hair and facial hair.

Despite there appearing to be multiple victims police have declared there is “no immediate threat to public safety.”

“The individual previously considered armed and potentially dangerous has not been located but is not believed to pose an immediate threat to public safety,” police said in another release to the media.

Anyone with information on Gray’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the OPP or Crime Stoppers.

Bracebridge, Ont. is a town of just under 20,000 people in the Muskoka area. It is about an hour north of Barrie.