RCMP release 2 suspects in East Preston shootings, police 'confident' there is no 3rd suspect

RCMP have released two suspects arrested Friday night in connection to two shootings in East Preston, N.S.

"Sometimes what we know and what we can effectively prove to start a court process are sometimes two different things," RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Chris Marshall told CBC News on Saturday.

He said charges could still be laid against the suspects, a 21-year-old man and a 26-year-old man.

No one is believed to have been injured in the shootings.

An emergency alert was issued Friday evening at 8:12 p.m. AT warning area residents to lock their doors and shelter in place as a result of the shootings, which were originally stated to have happened in East Preston and North Preston.

Police said while a 21-year-old male suspect had been arrested, two others fled into the woods behind Brian Street in East Preston. They were believed to be armed.

Police originally said there was a 3rd suspect

Around an hour later, police tweeted that one of the two suspects had been arrested.

A RCMP news release on Saturday said the police located a 26-year-old man who had entered a home in Cherry Brook without consent at around 9:20 p.m. Friday.

The release said police located a stolen vehicle during the investigation that was believed to have been involved in two accidents. It said the vehicle will be returned to its owner once forensic identification services has processed it.

At 11:25 p.m., RCMP tweeted that the shelter in place order had been lifted, but made no mention of a third individual.

On Saturday, Marshall said they are "confident" there wasn't a third suspect.

"We were never able to actually corroborate that there was a third person involved," said Marshall.

He chalked up the confusion over the shooting locations and the involvement of a potential third individual to receiving seven calls in short order and the urgency of putting out an emergency alert.

"There was a lot of information to parse through," said Marshall.