University shooting person of interest

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

A police cruiser guards a crime scene after an attempted armed robbery left three people dead near the HUB Mall area on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton on Friday, June 15, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ian Jackson

The search was on Friday for an armoured car guard after three guards with him on a money run at the University of Alberta campus were found shot to death.

A fourth guard with G4S Security was critically wounded in the post-midnight attack at a campus mall and residence complex.

Travis Brandon Baumgartner, 21, is being sought as a person of interest, said police Chief Rod Knecht.

Baumgartner is believed to be driving a Ford F-150 truck with Alberta licence plate ZRE-724. Edmonton police, RCMP, Canada Border Services officials and U.S. Customs agents are all involved in the search, Knecht said.

Baumgartner is not a suspect because investigators are not sure what role, if any, he played in the heist and shootings.

"His involvement in this morning's shooting is not clear to us at this point," Knecht said.

Knecht did not provide further details, but asked the public to use extreme caution if they encounter Baumgartner.

Two of the dead and the critically injured guard are men. The other fatality is a woman.

The police chief delivered a statement to the media at police headquarters about what he said was a "horrific act of violence."

"To the families of those involved, and to the co-workers of these employees from G4S, all of us here at the Edmonton Police Service, and all the citizens of Edmonton, share your feelings of shock and disbelief," he said.

"Our thoughts are with you at this difficult time. Victim Services employees have been assigned to work with each one of the families involved."

Police began looking for Baumgartner shortly after passers-by found the guards just after midnight. The crew had been making a delivery to a bank ATM machine.

One bystander photo of the scene posted to Facebook showed three people from G4S lying in front of the bank machine, emergency crews working over the bodies. There were blood streaks on the concrete floor out from behind the machine to where the bodies were lying.

A fourth guard was on a road outside near the G4S minivan.

"It's devastating," said G4S spokeswoman Robin Steinberg, who confirmed the deaths and injuries. Names were not released.

"Our hearts go out to families of the victims."

Steinberg confirmed the guards were armed, but would say little else.

"I have no details," she said.