At least 16 killed in Canada's deadliest shooting rampage

A man wearing a police uniform went on a shooting rampage in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Sunday, killing 16 people, in the deadliest such attack in the country's history.

 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 kilometers 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-colored SUV was being investigated.

Police stated earlier on Sunday the suspect was driving a car that looked like a police vehicle and wearing a police uniform, but later said he was "believed to be driving a small, silver Chevrolet SUV," traveling southbound on a highway. 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 pm on 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 town, 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.

"I feel better now to know he’s in custody," Mills said. "It’s nerve-wracking because you don’t know if somebody has lost their mind and is going to beat in your front door."

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 quiet community and the idea that this could happen in our community is unbelievable," Taggart said by phone from his home in Bass River, near the lockdown area.

RCMP Cpl. Lisa Croteau confirmed a tweet saying there are "multiple victims" but could not provide a number or say whether any people had been killed.

The RCMP posted an update on Twitter just after 10:15 am, warning that the male suspect was in the Debert and Central Oslow area and may be dressed as a police officer in a vehicle resembling a police car.

A Gabriel Wortman is listed as a denturist in Dartmouth, according to the Denturist Society of Nova Scotia website. A suspect photo issued by the RCMP matches video footage of a man being interviewed about dentures by CTV Atlantic in 2014.

Mills also said that Wortman was known locally as a denturist who divided his time between a residence in Halifax and a residence in Portapique.

Taggart said he didn’t know Wortman well, but spoke to him a few times when he telephoned about municipal issues.

Taggart described knowing Wortman’s "lovely big home" on Portapique Beach Road. He said Wortman owned a few other properties and was believed to divide his time between Portapique and his business in Dartmouth.