MONTREAL—A domestic dispute in Kuujjuaq ended in tragedy on Sunday when a man turned a gun on himself hours after he shot and killed a 27-year-old police officer.

A second officer from the Kativik Regional Police Force was seriously wounded in the exchange that began at around 9 p.m. Saturday in the small town near Ungava Bay, 1,600 kilometers north of Montreal.

"The two police officers were transported to the hospital. One of them died," confirmed Sgt. Ronald McInnis of the Surete du Quebec, the second officer is expected to recover.

Steve Dery, originally from the Ottawa suburb of Orleans, was killed as he arrived at the scene and was greeted by gunfire. According to local media, Dery was quickly becoming a respected member of the community.

“This is one of the dangers of policing,” said Sgt. Daniel Thibodeau of the SQ. “This is a tightknit community and it hits hard.”

Sympathy flowed in on the grinning young man’s Facebook page, as hundreds of his friends changed their profile pictures to a photo of a black ribbon and the crest of the Kativik police.

After establishing a perimeter around the suspect’s home, SQ officers attempted to make contact but that proved unsuccessful. After hours without contact with the man, an SQ tactical unit entered the home at 2:40 p.m. on Sunday to find the suspect’s body.

A woman who had been in the house Saturday night was able to escape without injury. Police believe she was the victim of conjugal violence.

A Kuujjuaq resident reached by phone by The Canadian Press said the village was reeling from the incident.

"Everybody's in shock and disbelief," said Johnny Adams, a former Kuujjuaq councillor. "We're just praying for the families involved."

The Kativik Regional Police Force was created in 1996 to serve communities in Nunavik, which comprises the northern third of the province. Kuujjuaq is the largest northern village in the region, with a population of about 2,400.

A team of investigators from the SQ’s office in Montreal has been flown to Kuujjuaq.

—with files from The Canadian Press.