Nova Scotia rampage

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Nova Scotia rampage (Nova Scotia)
Portapique
Portapique
Wentworth
Wentworth
Debert
Debert
Shubenacadie
Shubenacadie
Enfield
Enfield
Places of rampage

In the Nova Scotia rampage on April 18-19, 2020, 23 people were killed and five buildings set on fire over a period of 13 hours in various locations north of Halifax in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia .

It is the firearms attack with the highest number of casualties in Canadian history ; more than the rampage at the Montréal Polytechnic in 1989, in which 15 people were killed. So far nothing is known about the perpetrator's motive.

The perpetrator, 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman, wore a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) uniform during the act . He was traveling in a vehicle that resembled a patrol car and was killed by RCMP officers after a vehicle was tracked.

procedure

April 18

Based on a case of domestic violence between Wortman and his girlfriend after a party in Portapique Township , 130 kilometers north of Halifax, he set the house on fire and returned to the party taking place nearby. There he shot seven people. The first emergency calls were received by the local police at 10:14 p.m. local time, reporting multiple shots and fires. Twelve minutes later, the first police officers arrived at the scene and discovered thirteen victims who had been shot inside and outside eight houses on Orchard Beach Drive and Portapique Beach Road . It was reported via radio that the shooter could not be located. Eyewitnesses said that the perpetrator was in a car disguised as a police car and drove towards the beach.

The police soon identified Wortman as a suspect. It was suspected that the culprit place not through the Trunk Highway 2 , had the only Überortstraße leave, but was on foot or suicide committed. The RCMP then wrote a tweet on Twitter asking residents to stay at home and keep the doors locked. Meanwhile, the officers set up a search area of ​​two kilometers. It was unclear whether Wortman had already been arrested and whether he had been the driver of the car disguised as a police car. Wortman left Portapique by car at around 10:35 p.m. by escaping across a field. He spent the night near Debert , about 25 kilometers from the crime scene.

April 19th

At 5:43 a.m. on April 19, Wortman left Debert on Highway 4 north to visit a friend's house in Wentworth . He reached the house around 6:30 a.m. and shortly afterwards killed the two residents as well as a neighbor hurried to help. Wortman stayed in the house for an indefinite period of time before lighting it up. The police received a call about the sound of an explosion.

At the same time, the police found Wortman's girlfriend in Portapique, who was hiding in a forest. She confirmed to the police that he posed as a police officer and was traveling in his unregistered replica police car. Thereupon Wortman was written out for a manhunt in the province of Nova Scotia. At 8:54 a.m., Wortman was identified as a suspect.

At 9:23 a.m. Wortman drove back on Highway 4 towards Portapique and at 9:35 a.m. shot another person on the side of the road. At around 9:45 am he went to a house in the Glenholme area that he also knew of the residents. They denied entry to Wortman, who was armed and dressed in police uniform, and called the police.

At 9:48 am, Wortman was spotted near a campsite in Glenholme while driving through Debert and Onslow . At 10:17 a.m., the police informed the public in another tweet that Wortman was posing as a police officer and at the same time published a photo of his vehicle. During this time, he stopped twice at randomly selected cars and shot the occupants. In a parking lot in Millbrook First Nation , Wortman was videotaped on video surveillance getting out of the car, swapping his jacket for a reflective vest, and driving away.

Before 10:49 am, Wortman drove past RCMP Constable Chad Morrison on Trunk 2 in Shubenacadie . Morrisson had planned to meet there with his friend Heidi Stevenson. Wortman shot in the car and injured Morrisson, who then drove to a nearby hospital and reported Wortman's whereabouts. Wortman continued south on Route 224 and collided head-on with Stevenson's car, who had probably caused the collision intentionally to stop the rampage. Then Stevenson attacked Wortman and was shot by him. He took her gun and ammunition. He shot a motorist rushing to help and drove away in a Chevrolet SUV at around 11:06 a.m.

Shortly afterwards, Wortman killed a woman he knew in her home in Shubenacadie, changed clothes and stole her Mazda3 . At 11:24 a.m., he was seen continuing south on Highway 102 through Milford .

Thirteen hours after police in pursuit, Wortman stopped at 11:26 am at the service station Irving Big Stop in Enfield, 92 kilometers south of Porta Pique to refuel. An RCMP officer who was at the gas station at the same time recognized Wortmann and shot him. At 11:40 a.m., police confirmed his death.

Victim

Wortman killed 22 people, including policewoman Stevenson. The other policeman who was shot and the man in Portapique who first reported using a vehicle disguised as a police car survived. Thirteen of the fatalities were found in Portapique, four in Wentworth, two in Debert and three in Shubenacadie. Most died from gunshot wounds, eight of the victims were found in the remains of the burned down buildings.

According to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, some of the early victims were closely related to Wortman. In the further course he chose the victims more at random. The Globe and Mail reported that one of the victims in Wentworth had previously hunted with Wortman , while CBC News wrote of another victim who owned the Portapique property, a point of contention between Wortman and his uncle.

Perpetrator

Workers remove the sign from his dental office on April 22nd

The 51-year-old perpetrator has been identified as Gabriel Wortman, a dentist who worked in the Halifax area. He owned properties in Portapique, Halifax and Dartmouth .

He attended Riverview High School in Riverview , New Brunswick , and, according to yearbook entries, aspired to be a police officer. In 2002 he pleaded guilty to assault and was given a nine-month suspended sentence. At the same time, he was banned from possessing weapons and given therapy to deal with anger.

He was also involved in two civil law matters relating to property disputes, according to interviews and public records. In 2004, he offered help to a friend who was having financial difficulties and was about to lose his home. He then discreetly took over ownership of the house, vacated and then sold the property. In 2015 his uncle loaned him a house which he bought in Portapique while selling his Edmonton condo . Wortman refused to return the property to him, claiming he was owed money until the uncle eventually sold the house. One of the buyers was later a victim of the murders.

Wortman's passion was buying up law enforcement memorabilia and refurbishing old police vehicles. At the time of the crime he was in possession of four such police vehicles; two of them were found on his property in Portapique, a third burning in Halifax while he was driving the fourth during the rampage.

A neighbor of Wortman said he was obsessed with his girlfriend. Neighbors also said he was struggling with alcohol consumption and his business was negative due to the COVID-19 pandemic , as all unnecessary dental procedures were banned.

After the rampage, the signs on his dental practice were removed due to public criticism.

Investigations

Criminal investigations

So far, no motive for the rampage has been determined. More than 25 different RCMP units were involved in the criminal investigation , as were the Halifax Regional Police and the Canada Border Services Agency . On April 21, the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed to assist the investigation with additional personnel and material. There were a total of 16 crime scenes. There were also building fires at five crime scenes. The crime scenes extend over a distance of 50 kilometers. 435 witnesses were identified.

According to initial investigations, a decisive aspect for the conduct of the rampage was that Wortman wore a police uniform and used a vehicle disguised as a police car, which enabled him to evade persecution over the long period of the crime. An RCMP official is said to have noticed Wortman's replica vehicle well before the crime and advised him not to drive it on the road. Wortman is said to have acquired the car at an auction in autumn 2019. Furthermore, he is said to have had no license to own and acquire his weapons; the illegal acquisition of firearms continues to be investigated. He had several pistols and two self-loading rifles with a "significant amount" of ammunition. One of the weapons came from Canada, the other probably from the United States .

The police car seller was warned by police during the rampage that he might be a Wortman target; Ultimately, however, there was no clash between Wortman and the car salesman. Police later denied that Wortman kept a written list of the targets.

The Major Crime Unit of the Nova Scotia RCMP set up a telephone hotline for information from the civilian population.

Police reaction

The Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team announced it would investigate the police shooting of Wortman, as well as another incident involving two RCMP officers who fired their guns at a fire station in Onslow - Wortman was not at the time there -, give.

Missing emergency alarm

It was criticized that the emergency warning system for the population, Alert Ready , was not activated and that social networks such as Facebook or Twitter were used instead . RCMP officials justified this by citing an evolving situation where the details needed to be updated over and over again. However, older people are more likely to live in the affected region who may not use social networks and only have poor internet access . Speculation arose as to how activating Alert Ready might have saved lives. The police announced an investigation into the decision-making process to alert the public.

On April 22nd, a police officer stated that Dartmouth police officers had been asked to issue a warning at around 10:15 am. This was ultimately not published because the wording could not be agreed before Wortman died about an hour later. The United States Consulate General in Halifax announced that US citizens in Nova Scotia had received an email warning of the rampage using information from the RCMP.

Reactions

politics

Flags across Canada were hoisted at half mast and the House of Commons observed a minute's silence for the victims.

Address by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on April 20

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed condolences and reaffirmed his commitment to strengthen gun control in his morning address at Rideau Cottage on April 20 . He asked the media not to use the perpetrator's name or picture.

Nova Scotia Prime Minister Stephen McNeil told reporters, "This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in the history of our province." He expressed his condolences to the residents and families of the victims.

Expressing condolences, Elizabeth II said that she and Prince Philip were "saddened by the terrible events," and that their thoughts and prayers went with the people of Nova Scotia and all Canadians. She also paid tribute to the “bravery and sacrifice” of the RCMP and other emergency services.

The White House condemned the murders, and US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump offered condolences.

On May 2, 2020, the Canadian government imposed a total trade ban on approximately 1,500 models of semi-automatic rifles in the "military style", including more than 900 variants from the M-16 / M4 rifle family. Trading and use were therefore immediately prohibited and are reserved for public safety only. Owners have two years to hand in their weapons. The government is planning to regulate compensation for gun owners. The chairman of the Conservative Party commented that the assassin would not have been affected by the new regulation, as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police estimated that he had obtained his weapons illegally in the United States.

Commemorations and fundraisers

On April 20, the CN Tower in Toronto was illuminated in the colors of Nova Scotia, blue and white, and the tower was illuminated in the colors red, blue and gold of the RCMP in honor of Stevenson for a quarter and half hour. As a sign of solidarity on both sides of Canada and the United States with Nova Scotia in was Niagara Falls, both in Ontario lying Horseshoe Falls illuminated and the US waterfalls also in the colors blue and white.

In the days after the rampage, fundraising campaigns for the victims and their families started on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe , including attempts at fraud, which have since been removed. Jeff Thomson of the RCMP's Anti-Fraud Center warned Canadians not to donate to such campaigns without scrutiny.

As gatherings were prohibited due to the COVID-19 pandemic , a virtual vigil was broadcast on CBC Atlantic on April 24th .

Individual evidence

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  2. ↑ The rampage in Canada - Gabriel Wortman († 51) roamed the area murderously for at least twelve hours. Blick.ch , accessed on April 21, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Marie-Astrid Langer: The shooter disguises himself as a police officer: the number of victims in a rampage in Canada rises to 23 , nzz.ch from April 21, 2020
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  7. ↑ RCMP share maps showing NS gunman's movements during rampage. CBC, April 24, 2020, accessed April 30, 2020 .
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  9. ↑ a b c d e Jonathon Gatehouse: 'They don't know if they've caught him': Recordings reveal chaos of Nova Scotia manhunt social sharing. CBC, April 22, 2020, accessed April 30, 2020 .
  10. ↑ a b c d e f Nova Scotia: Gunman's resemblance to police officer made chase dangerous and complicated, say RCMP Social Sharing. CBC, April 24, 2020, accessed April 30, 2020 .
  11. ↑ a b c d e f g Robin Levinson-King, Jessica Murphy: Nova Scotia shooting: 'They had no idea the hell they were going to face'. BBC , April 24, 2020, accessed April 30, 2020 .
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  13. ↑ Nova Scotia: NS gunman drove across field, spent 6 hours hiding out in Debert to evade police. CBC, April 28, 2020, accessed April 30, 2020 .
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  17. ↑ Jonathon Gatehouse: gunman Nazi's 'advantage': Hours passed before RCMP told public hey what disguised as one of them. CBC, April 25, 2020, accessed April 30, 2020 .
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  24. ↑ a b c d e f Nova Scotia: RCMP officer among the dead after Nova Scotia gunman's rampage. CBC, April 19, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  25. ↑ Todd Battis, Ben Cousins, Ryan Flanagan: NS shooter handcuffed, assaulted his girlfriend before mass killing. CTV News, April 23, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  26. ^ A b Eliott C. McLaughlin, Paula Newton: Gunman evaded police for nearly 12 hours and killed at least 18 in one of Canada's deadliest mass shootings. CNN , April 21, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
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  30. ↑ a b Nova Scotia: Death toll from Nova Scotia gunman's rampage climbs to 19. CBC, April 20, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 (English).
  31. ↑ Kevin Bissett, Adina Bresge: Nova Scotia Mountie saved lives by stopping mock police car: union. CTV News, April 25, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  32. ↑ a b Karissa Donkin: Nova Scotia: Some of NS gunman's weapons came from US, police say. CBC, April 24, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  33. ↑ Canada shooting: Gunman kills at least 18 in Nova Scotia. BBC, April 20, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  34. ^ A b Elizabeth McMillan, Kayla Hounsell: Girlfriend of NS gunman was among his victims, but she survived. CBC, April 23, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  35. ^ Sean Collins: What we know about a mass shooting in Nova Scotia, Canada. Vox , April 20, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  36. ↑ Taryn Grant: Nova Scotia: 22 victims confirmed dead in NS mass shooting. CBC, April 21, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  37. ↑ a b Ben Cousins: Shooter in NS mass killing had 'multiple pieces of police uniforms': RCMP. CTV News, April 28, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  38. ↑ Karissa Donkin: Nova Scotia: Victim of NS mass shooting owned a property involved in dispute between suspected gunman, his uncle. CBC, April 23, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  39. ^ Wortman assault conviction document (2002). Halifax Examiner, April 21, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  40. ↑ There are 22 victims in the weekend murder spree. Halifax Examiner, April 21, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  41. ↑ Nova Scotia shooting: shock and surprise at killings by denturist. The Guardian, April 20, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  42. ↑ Bruce Frisko: 'Just unbelievable': Neighbors of Nova Scotia shooting suspect shocked by news. CTV News, April 19, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  43. ↑ a b Graham Slaughter, Ryan Flanagan: NS RCMP say they were 'in process' of preparing alert when gunman was killed. CTV News, April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  44. ↑ a b Karissa Donkin: Nova Scotia: Suspect in NS killings didn't have criminal record, but previously pleaded guilty to a crime. CBC, April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  45. ↑ Stewart Bell, Andrew Russell: Canada: 'He stole my house': Nova Scotia killer had history of dubious financial practices. Global News, April 21, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  46. ^ Stewart Bell, Brian Hill: Canada: Nova Scotia gunman was involved in several disputes before shooting, RCMP says. Global News, April 28, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  47. ^ A b Andrea Woo, Greg Mercer: Nova Scotia mass shooter was a denturist with an obsession for policing. The Globe and Mail, April 19, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  48. ^ Allan April: Police remove teeth, signage from denture clinic owned by NS shooter. CTV News, April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  49. ^ Nova Scotia: Military personnel, equipment to aid RCMP investigation into mass killing. CBC, April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  50. ^ Jonathon Gatehouse: Nova Scotia gunman didn't hide his fake RCMP cruiser - even from police, says ex-boss. CBC, April 23, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  51. ↑ Police have 'good idea' guns used in Nova Scotia mass shooting were not licensed. KelownaNow, April 23, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  52. ^ Mack Lamoureux: Nova Scotia Gunman Was Not a Legal Firearms Owner, RCMP Says. Vice , April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  53. ↑ Monika Gul: Would-be victim reveals Nova Scotia gunman had 'list of people to target': report. CityNews, April 23, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  54. ↑ Leigha Farnell: RCMP launch tip line to gather information about weekend mass shooting. CTV News, April 23, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  55. ↑ INVESTIGATION BEGINS INTO ENFIELD DEATH. Serious Incident Response Team, April 19, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  56. ^ A b Rachel Gilmore: US citizens in Nova Scotia were sent additional warning during deadly rampage. CTV News, April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  57. ↑ Alex Cooke: 'I would not have let my wife leave': Widower blasts lack of emergency alert during NS shootings. CBC, April 21, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  58. ↑ Emma Davie: Nova Scotia: He was 'hunted' by the Portapique gunman and survived. His brother didn't. CBC, April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  59. ↑ Michael Gorman: Nova Scotia: NS premier not ready to question if a public alert should have been issued about gunman. CBC, April 20, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  60. ^ John Paul Tasker: Politics: Questions emerge about RCMP's failure to send emergency alert on gunman's rampage. CBC, April 21, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  61. ^ Leyland Cecco: Nova Scotia shooting: friends and family pay tribute to 'beautiful souls' lost in rampage . In: The Guardian . April 20, 2020, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed April 21, 2020]).
  62. ↑ “We're going to get through this together”: Trudeau calls for unity after mass killing. CBC, April 20, 2020, accessed April 21, 2020 .
  63. ↑ Andrea Jerrett: Shooting 'one of the most senseless acts of violence' in Nova Scotia's history: premier. CTV News, April 19, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  64. ↑ Queen Elizabeth sends condolences to Canada after Nova Scotia shooting. Reuters , April 21, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  65. ↑ Changes in the Official Gazette Canada-Gazette Vol. 154 Canada-Gazette from May 1, 2020
  66. ^ A b Ian Austen: Canada Bans Assault Weapons in Wake of Deadly Mass Shooting. The New York Times, May 1, 2020, accessed May 3, 2020 .
  67. ↑ Andrea Jerrett, Melanie Price: Iconic Canadian symbols glow blue and white in show of solidarity with Nova Scotia. CTV News, April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  68. ↑ Brooklyn Neustaeter: NS rampage victims' young sons hid during attack, family member says. CTV News, April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  69. ^ A b Yvonne Colbert: Nova Scotia: Fake NS shooting fundraiser leads to warning from RCMP. CBC, April 23, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  70. ↑ Nova Scotia: Virtual vigil honoring victims of NS shootings planned for Friday. CBC, April 22, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  71. ^ Daina Goldfinger, Caryn Lieberman: Canada: Watch the virtual vigil for the Nova Scotia shooting victims. Global News, April 24, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .