What truly happened during the Nova Scotia shooting was the deadliest attack in the history of Canada.
A gunman pretended to be a police officer and killed 16 people during a 10-hour rampage across the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
He shot residents in their homes and set fires on Sunday. Authorities reported that the suspected shooter was also dead.
One of the victims of the Nova Scotia shooting was a police officer. Officials found several bodies inside and outside one house in the small, rural town of Portapique. This town, about 60 miles north of Halifax, is the location of the first scene.
Officials also detected bodies in other locations. They claim that the shooter may have targeted his first victims but then started attacking randomly.
Police began telling residents of the town, which is already on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, to stay inside their basements and lock their doors. Fire emerged from some houses.
Gabriel Wortman, 51, was the identified gunman. He was living part-time in Portapique. Reports revealed that he wore a police uniform at one point and dressed his car like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruiser.
Police reported that they had arrested Wortman at a gas station in Enfield, outside Halifax.
“This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history,” said Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil.
According to RCMP spokesman Daniel Brien, 16 people had died in addition to the suspect. Constable Heidi Stevenson, a mother of two and a 23-year veteran of the force, died during the incident. There was another officer suffering from injuries.
Mass shootings are reportedly rare in Canada. The country revised its gun-control laws after gunman Marc Lepine shot 14 women and himself at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique college in 1989. This had been the country’s worst crime until Sunday.
Gun-control law
Canadian law bans the possession of an unregistered handgun or any kind of rapid-fire weapon. The country requires training, a personal risk assessment, two references, spousal notification and criminal record checks to purchase a weapon.
“As a country, in moments like these, we come together to support one another. Together we will mourn with the families of the victims, and help them get through this difficult time,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a written news release.
Police did not disclose the initial motive of the shooter. RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said many of the victims were not aware of who the gunman was.
He added that police believe he was alone in committing the crime.
Related to the coronavirus pandemic?
Leather pointed out that they would probe whether the attack was connected with the coronavirus pandemic.
Though at one point, an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and police happened, he said.
According to Cpl. Lisa Croteau, a spokeswoman with the provincial force, they received a call about “a person with firearms” late Saturday night. Their investigation “evolved into an active shooting investigation.”
Christine Mills, a resident of the area, described the incident as a frightening night for the small town, with armed officers roaming the streets.
“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.
