Church confirms a priest died during violence that rocked an Alberta town

ST. PAUL, Alta. – Church officials in Alberta confirm a priest died during a terrifying series of incidents that injured several police officers and left a suspect dead.

Lorraine Turchansky, a spokeswoman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton, confirms that Father Gilbert Dasna died Friday.

Mounties say they transported an injured man to hospital in St. Paul, northeast of Edmonton, on Friday afternoon after responding to a distress call in the town.

At about the same time, gunshots rang out outside the town's RCMP detachment, and police began hunting for a black Dodge pickup that was seen leaving the area.

Police say the truck later rammed a police cruiser, seriously injuring an officer inside and leading to a shootout that left the suspect in the truck dead.

The man who police took to hospital was pronounced dead upon arrival, police say they don't know if the death is connected either to Friday night's incident or the suspect who was in the Dodge truck.

Turchansky says Dasna was serving with the St. Paul diocese and was a member of the Sons of Mary Mother of Mercy congregation, which she said is based in Nigeria.

Bishop Paul Terrio of the Diocese of St. Paul was out of the country, Turchansky said, but is on his way back to Alberta after learning the news.

Three officers were injured. The worst injured was a female officer who was in the RCMP vehicle that was rammed, and police said she suffered extensive injuries to both legs.

Police said Saturday that she was in serious condition but that her injuries were not life-threatening.

The two other officers, police said, have been treated and released.

Police haven't released the name of the suspect in the truck who died.