‘Canada’s Deadliest Attack In Years’ – At Least 10 Killed In Roving Shooting Rampage Across Nova Scotia

In what will be remembered as one of the worst mass shootings in recent Canadian history (though the country is certainly no stranger to terroristic attacks), more than 10 people are dead, including an RCMP officer and the suspect, after an attack that continued over the course of several hours as police pursued the suspect across the province.

 

More than 10 people are dead, including an RCMP officer and the suspect, after a mass shooting incident in Nova Scotia.
The RCMP provided an update during a news conference in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Sunday evening, releasing precious few details about a rampage that carried on across the province, with people apparently killed by the shooter in multiple locations.

“Today is a devastating day for Nova Scotia and it will remain etched in the minds of many for years to come,” said commanding RCMP officer Lee Bergman.

The shooter was identified as 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman. His motives remain unclear.

Wortman was killed by police outside the Irving gas station and Big Stop restaurant in Enfield Nova Scotia, roughly 25 miles from downtown Halifax.

The story of how the incident unfolded is long and convoluted (at least, that’s the way it was told by several local TV news stations), but here’s the gist, as far as we understand it. Remember, many details about the incident have yet to be released. The situation officially began late Saturday evening when officers responded to a firearms complaint in Portapique, a small town about 80 miles north of Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia.

In a tweet sent overnight, police confirmed they were in the middle of an “active shooter situation” and asked residents to remain in their homes with their doors locked. Police said this stage of the incident involved “several victims”, but no figures were listed. There is no word on their identities or how many people may have been killed or injured. Investigators first released the suspect’s identity before 9 am Sunday. They said Wortman was considered armed and dangerous and warned that he should not be approached.

Around 10 am, police warned that Wortman was traveling on Highway 4 near Hidden Hilltop Campground in Glenholme and urged residents to avoid the area and lock their doors. A short time later, police said that Wortman might be driving what appeared to be an RCMP vehicle and wearing an RCMP uniform – though he is not an RCMP officer.

Wortman continue to travel across the province Sunday morning, with police warning at 10:21 am that he had been spotted in the Debert area. At 11:04 am, police said Wortman had been last seen traveling south on Highway 102 from the Brookfield area in the vehicle shown above. At 11:24 am, police said that Wortman was now driving a silver Chevrolet Tracker and had been spotted in Milford NS.

A short time later, they tweeted that he was “in custody” – though apparently he had already been mortally wounded at that point.

Watch a clip from a press conference held by local police officials after the scene was finally brought under control:

Police confirmed that Const. Heidi Stevenson, a 23-year veteran of the Nova Scotia RCMP, died Sunday morning while responding to the active shooter incident. A male RCMP officer was also taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. His identity has not been released.