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At Least 10 Killed in Nova Scotia Shooting, Police Say At Least 10 Killed in Nova Scotia Shooting, Police Say
(about 3 hours later)
A police officer and a 51-year-old gunman were dead after a 12-hour shooting rampage in Nova Scotia in which at least 10 people were killed, the police said Sunday. MONTREAL — A gunman killed at least 10 people in a shooting rampage in a rural community in Nova Scotia, the police said on Sunday, in what was among the worst mass killings in recent memory in Canada.
The authorities responded to reports of a shooting about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday in the area of Portapique Beach Road, Bay Shore Road and Five Houses Road in Portapique, a small rural community about 35 miles from Truro, Nova Scotia. The police said the killing spree, which began in the town of Portapique on Saturday night, ended about 12 hours later at a gas station about 22 miles away in Enfield, north of Halifax, where the gunman died. The police would not elaborate on how he died, though witnesses told local news outlets that they heard gunfire leading up to his death.
Police confirmed at a news conference on Sunday afternoon that at least 10 people were killed in multiple locations during the 12-hour rampage, which ended at a gas station. It was not immediately clear if that figure included the gunman. A police officer was among those killed, officials said.
Earlier on Sunday, Brian Sauvé, president of the National Police Federation, a union that represents members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said in a statement that one officer had been killed and another was injured in the shooting. The identities of the officers were not immediately released. It was not immediately clear whether the death toll included the gunman, who was identified by the authorities as Gabriel Wortman, 51.
“We are heavy with grief and sadness today as we have lost one of our own,” Mr. Sauvé said. “A second dedicated Member was injured in the line of duty today. We will do everything we can to support them and wish them a full recovery.” A motive for the mass shooting was also not immediately clear. The police said that it did not begin as a random act but that the killings became random as the spree progressed.
The authorities identified the gunman as Gabriel Wortman, 51, whom the CBC described as a denturist who owned real estate in Halifax, the provincial capital. It was not immediately clear what the motive for the shooting was. Officials said Mr. Wortman, a denturist from Nova Scotia, had a relationship to some of the victims and was not known to the police. They said one line of investigation would be whether the coronavirus pandemic had anything to do with the killing spree.
During the manhunt, the authorities warned residents about Mr. Wortman and counseled them to stay inside and to lock themselves indoors. The CBC, the Canadian broadcaster, reported that Mr. Wortman had two denture clinics and owned real estate in the province.
“He is considered armed and dangerous,” Corporal Croteau said. “We are asking the public if you see him, not to approach.” Chief Superintendent Chris Leather, the officer responsible for criminal investigations for the Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said the episode began on Saturday night when the police were called to a home, where they discovered dead bodies inside and outside the residence.
Canadians and residents of Nova Scotia — a province on the Atlantic coast known for its fishing industry — and Halifax, a port city, were shocked by the violence in a small sleepy, rural area. He said a suspect was nowhere to be found. Over the next 12 hours, the police pursued Mr. Wortman across the province.
During a news media briefing on Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada briefly touched on the tragedy and thanked the police for their work. Chief Leather said Mr. Wortman appeared to be dressed as a police officer and was driving a vehicle made to resemble an R.C.M.P. car. The authorities said that Mr. Wortman then switched vehicles and was seen driving a silver Chevrolet Tracker in the Milford area. The authorities emphasized that he was not an R.C.M.P. employee.
“My heart goes out to everyone affected in what is a terrible situation,” he said. The chief said the bodies of victims were discovered in multiple locations and that several structures were set on fire. He said that, as the investigation progressed, the death toll could climb.
Stephen McNeil, the premier of Nova Scotia, called the rampage “one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history” at a time when Nova Scotia, like the rest of the country, was being buffeted by Covid-19. Lee Bergerman, the assistant commissioner, appearing visibly shaken at a news conference on Sunday, said the killing spree would haunt Nova Scotia.
“To the families of the victims and to those who are still feeling afraid, my heart goes out to you,” he said. “Know that all Nova Scotians are with you.” “Today is a devastating day for Nova Scotia and will remain etched in the minds of many for years to come,” she said.
During the manhunt, the authorities warned residents that Mr. Wortman was armed and dangerous, and told them to stay inside. Frightened residents locked their doors and many hid in their basements — and stayed there overnight — as news of the shooting spread through the close-knit community.
Among the victims was Heidi Stevenson, a veteran R.C.M.P. officer and mother of two with 23 years experience on the force. Another police officer was also among the injured.
Stephen McNeil, the premier of Nova Scotia, said it was “one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history” at a time when the province was already being buffeted by the coronavirus.
“To the families of the victims and to those still feeling afraid, my heart goes out to you,” he said. “Know that all Nova Scotians are with you.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada thanked the police for their work. “Our hearts go out to the people who have lost loved ones,” he said.
The authorities said the rampage was one of the worst in the province’s history.
In July 2018, a man wielding a gun in Toronto walked down a busy street and randomly shot two people and injured 13, before killing himself.
One year earlier, in late January, Canada was deeply shaken when a political science student entered a mosque in Quebec City during prayers, killing six people and wounding many more.
One of the worst mass shootings in recent Canadian history occurred on Dec. 6, 1989: Fourteen women were killed in a violent anti-feminist attack at the École Polytechnique engineering school in Montreal. Fourteen others were injured, and the gunman killed himself.
In the most recent violence, the authorities said they responded to reports of a shooting about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday in the area of Portapique Beach Road, Bay Shore Road and Five Houses Road in Portapique, a small rural community about 35 miles from Truro, Nova Scotia.
Canadians and residents of Nova Scotia, a province on the Atlantic coast known for its fishing industry, and Halifax, a port city, were shocked by the violence in a small, sleepy, rural area.
Tom Taggart, a council member in Colchester, which includes Portapique, lives two miles from the rural community.Tom Taggart, a council member in Colchester, which includes Portapique, lives two miles from the rural community.
“It’s really cottage country,” he said on Sunday, adding that the community is home to about 50 to 60 residents and as many as 200 during the summer. “It’s really cottage country,” he said on Sunday, adding that the community was home to about 50 to 60 residents and as many as 200 during the summer.
Like other residents, he said he had heard the updates from the police on Sunday morning to stay indoors because a gunman was on the loose. Like other residents, he said he had heard the updates from the police on Sunday about a gunman on the loose.
“It just escalated from there,” he said. “People live here because it is safe and secure, we think. This stuff is not supposed to happen here.”“It just escalated from there,” he said. “People live here because it is safe and secure, we think. This stuff is not supposed to happen here.”
He added: “These are real people that just went to bed last night thinking that everything is another day and now things, are just, I can’t imagine. It’s tragic.” He added: “These are real people that just went to bed last night thinking that everything is another day and now things are just — I can’t imagine. It’s tragic.”
Darcy Sack, a resident of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, told the CBC that she and a friend had seen the gunman’s silver vehicle as well as two police cars on fire on Sunday morning.
She said that they then heard two gunshots and saw a police officer running toward the vehicles.
Mr. Wortman led the authorities on an extended search.
At first, the police believed he might have been driving what appeared to be an R.C.M.P. vehicle and wearing an R.C.M.P. uniform, the authorities said on Twitter.
The authorities said that one difference between his car and official police vehicles was the car’s number, which was 28B11, on the rear passenger window.
“If you see 28B11 call 911 immediately,” the police said on Twitter. The authorities emphasized that Mr. Wortman was not an employee of the R.C.M.P.
The authorities then said that he switched vehicles and was seen driving a silver Chevrolet Tracker in the Milford area.
Krista Wood, a spokeswoman for Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro, said the hospital went into lockdown on Saturday night. She said the hospital was cooperating with the authorities but would not confirm whether it was treating victims from the shooting.