The entire town of Moncton in southeastern New Brunswick has been locked down on Thursday morning as the police launched a manhunt for a Rambo-styled shooter who reportedly killed three Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers on Wednesday.

Police responded to a call about a heavily armed man in a camouflage on Wednesday and a confrontation or an ambush ensued between the two parties. Two other RCMP officers were hurt in the incident, The Washington Post detailed.

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According to a witness cited by the Associated Press, he saw the alleged shooter on Wednesday night wearing a camouflage in the middle of the street and pointing his gun at police vehicles. When he heard the sound of an automatic weapon being fired, he hid inside his home.

The gunman was reportedly armed with a knife and a couple of rifles. Police have launched a manhunt for 24-year-old Justin Bourque, a person whose Facebook page was full of rants about the police, photos of guns, and song lyrics from heavy metal band Megadeth.

In an interview with Business Insider, Bourque's former Wal-Mart co-worker Caitlin Isaac said the alleged gunman was fired from the store several years ago. She mentioned Bourque had once expressed his desire to "go out with a bang" and take people with him so that he would be remembered.

Residents of Moncton were told to stay inside their homes for now and lock the doors and those outside the town have been told to stay out of Moncton until the situation cleared. On Thursday, schools were closed and checkpoints were set up to search cars individually.

Meanwhile, Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc released a statement encouraging the residents to heed the warnings issued by the RCMP because they in an "extremely difficult" situation.

The RCMP also announced the manhunt on Twitter, saying they were on the lookout for 24-year-old Justin Borque of #Moncton in connection with the deadly shooting.

The Moncton region of New Brunswick is occupied by around 138,000 residents and serves as a transportation hub for Canada's Maritime provinces.