Nova Scotia Shooting Incident – Fire Hall Confusion
Date: May 11, 2020
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Fully releasable (ATIP)? Yes
Branch / Agency: RCMP-GRC
Issue: On May 7, 2020, a CBC News article entitled “Confusion over cruiser, safety vest led RCMP to shoot at person who wasn’t N.S. gunman” was published.
Proposed Response:
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is working tirelessly through the complexity of the investigation to get answers regarding the tragic events that took place in Nova Scotia on April 18 and 19, 2020.
- Under the circumstances and complexity of this investigation, we ask for the public’s patience as our professionals work to determine what exactly took place and why.
- The aspect of the investigation relating to events that took place at the Onslow Belmont Fire Brigade hall is currently under investigation by the Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team, and as such we are unable to comment further on it.
- Public and officer safety remain top priorities for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Background:
On April 18-19, 2020, a sequence of shooting incidents occurred at multiple locations in Nova Scotia, resulting in deaths of 22 innocent people at the hands of a gunman. Three (3) people were also injured. Some of those who lost their lives did so while trying to save others. They are heroes. This tragedy also resulted in the death in the line of duty of RCMP Constable Heidi Stevenson, who was responding to the shooting. Another RCMP officer, Constable Chad Morrison, received non-life-threatening injuries. The suspected perpetrator, Gabriel Wortman, is deceased. While one vehicle driven by Wortman resembled an RCMP vehicle and it is believed he wore a police uniform at some point during the incident, he was not an RCMP employee. “H” Division Major Crime is coordinating the investigations with full support from many other RCMP units from across the Maritime Provinces and Canada.
A CBC News Article entitled “Confusion over cruiser, safety vest led RCMP to shoot at person who wasn’t N.S. gunman” outlines an incident alleged to have taken place at the Onslow Belmont Fire Brigade hall whereby two RCMP officers discharged their firearms. The events that took place at the fire hall have been referred to Nova Scotia’s independent Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT), which will investigate the circumstances surrounding the discharge of firearms by two members of the RCMP.
The events that took place on April 18 and 19, 2020, were rapidly evolving and dynamic, which has increased the complexity of the investigation. Due to the circumstances, and given multiple crime scenes, no timeline for the completion of the investigation can be given at this time.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Konrad Roberts, C&IP Strategic Policy, RCMP; 343-542 2628
Approved by: Brian Brennan, Deputy Commissioner, Contract and Indigenous Policing, RCMP; 613-843-4632
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