Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast Laura McQuillan: 13 killed in Canada's deadliest shooting in 30 years
Apr 19, 2020
01:54
A man wearing a police uniform went on a shooting rampage in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Sunday, killing 13 people, in the deadliest such attack in the country in 30 years. Officials said the suspected shooter was also dead.
A police officer was among the dead. Several bodies were found inside and outside one home in the small, rural town of Portapique, about 100 kilometres north of Halifax. Overnight, police began advising residents of the town — already on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic — to lock their doors and stay in their basements. Several homes in the area were set on fire as well.
Police identified the man believed to be the shooter as Gabriel Wortman, 51, who was thought to live part-time in Portapique. Authorities said he disguised himself as a police officer in uniform at one point and made his car look like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruiser.
Wortman was arrested by the RCMP at a gas station in Enfield, just outside Halifax. Police later announced that he had died.
"This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province's history," said Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil.
RCMP spokesman Daniel Brien confirmed that 13 people had been killed as had the shooter. He said he could not rule out that the death toll could still rise. Already, that makes it one of the worst shootings in Canadian history.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada. The country overhauled its gun-control laws after the its worst mass shooting in 1989, when gunman Marc Lepine killed 14 women and himself at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique college. This weekend's shooting is the deadliest since then. It is now illegal to possess an unregistered handgun or any kind of rapid-fire weapon in Canada. The country also requires training, a personal risk assessment, two references, spousal notification and criminal record checks to purchase a weapon.
Police have not provided a motive for the attack, but RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said many of the victims did not know the shooter.
"That fact that this individual had a uniform and a police car at his disposal certainly speaks to it not being a random act," Leather said. He added that police believe he acted alone.
Leather said they would investigate whether the attack had anything to do with the coronavirus pandemic but no link has been found thus far.
The dead officer was identified as Constable Heidi Stevenson, a mother of two and a 23-year veteran of the force. Another officer was also injured.
Leather said at point there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and police. There were half a dozen police vehicles at the scene of a gas station where the suspect was shot. Yellow police tape surrounded the gas pumps, and a large silver-coloured SUV was being investigated.
Police said earlier Sunday the suspect was driving a car that looked like a police vehicle and was wearing a police uniform, but later said he was "believed to be driving a small, silver Chevrolet SUV." They said he is not an RCMP employee or officer.
Cpl. Lisa Croteau, a spokeswoman with the provincial force, said police received a call about "a person with firearms" at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday and the investigation "evolved into an active shooting investigation."
"My heart goes out to everyone affected in what is a terrible situation," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
Christine Mills, a resident of the area, said it had been a frightening night for the small town, with armed officers patrolling the streets. In the morning, helicopters flew overhead searching for the suspect. "It's nerve-wracking because you don't know if somebody has lost their mind and is going to beat in your front door," she said.
Tom Taggart, a lawmaker who represents the Portapique area in the Municipality of Colchester, said the quiet community has been shaken.
"This is just an absolutely wonderful, peaceful...
A police officer was among the dead. Several bodies were found inside and outside one home in the small, rural town of Portapique, about 100 kilometres north of Halifax. Overnight, police began advising residents of the town — already on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic — to lock their doors and stay in their basements. Several homes in the area were set on fire as well.
Police identified the man believed to be the shooter as Gabriel Wortman, 51, who was thought to live part-time in Portapique. Authorities said he disguised himself as a police officer in uniform at one point and made his car look like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruiser.
Wortman was arrested by the RCMP at a gas station in Enfield, just outside Halifax. Police later announced that he had died.
"This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province's history," said Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil.
RCMP spokesman Daniel Brien confirmed that 13 people had been killed as had the shooter. He said he could not rule out that the death toll could still rise. Already, that makes it one of the worst shootings in Canadian history.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada. The country overhauled its gun-control laws after the its worst mass shooting in 1989, when gunman Marc Lepine killed 14 women and himself at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique college. This weekend's shooting is the deadliest since then. It is now illegal to possess an unregistered handgun or any kind of rapid-fire weapon in Canada. The country also requires training, a personal risk assessment, two references, spousal notification and criminal record checks to purchase a weapon.
Police have not provided a motive for the attack, but RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said many of the victims did not know the shooter.
"That fact that this individual had a uniform and a police car at his disposal certainly speaks to it not being a random act," Leather said. He added that police believe he acted alone.
Leather said they would investigate whether the attack had anything to do with the coronavirus pandemic but no link has been found thus far.
The dead officer was identified as Constable Heidi Stevenson, a mother of two and a 23-year veteran of the force. Another officer was also injured.
Leather said at point there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and police. There were half a dozen police vehicles at the scene of a gas station where the suspect was shot. Yellow police tape surrounded the gas pumps, and a large silver-coloured SUV was being investigated.
Police said earlier Sunday the suspect was driving a car that looked like a police vehicle and was wearing a police uniform, but later said he was "believed to be driving a small, silver Chevrolet SUV." They said he is not an RCMP employee or officer.
Cpl. Lisa Croteau, a spokeswoman with the provincial force, said police received a call about "a person with firearms" at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday and the investigation "evolved into an active shooting investigation."
"My heart goes out to everyone affected in what is a terrible situation," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
Christine Mills, a resident of the area, said it had been a frightening night for the small town, with armed officers patrolling the streets. In the morning, helicopters flew overhead searching for the suspect. "It's nerve-wracking because you don't know if somebody has lost their mind and is going to beat in your front door," she said.
Tom Taggart, a lawmaker who represents the Portapique area in the Municipality of Colchester, said the quiet community has been shaken.
"This is just an absolutely wonderful, peaceful...
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