Parliamentary Committee Notes: Nova Scotia Mass Shooting Incident – Chronology of Events
Background/Current Status:
Chronology of Events
To assist in outlining the timeline, the events have been separated into three clusters of incidents. The first cluster was in Portapique on the night of Saturday, April 18, 2020. On Sunday, April 19, 2020, there was a second cluster of incidents in Wentworth, Glenholme, and Debert. A third and final cluster took place in Shubenacadie, Milford and Enfield, also on April 19, 2020.
Cluster One – Portapique, NS – April 18, 2020
Before the first call came in, there was an assault between the gunman and a person known to him in Portapique, NS. The victim managed to escape from the gunman and hid overnight in the woods.
Following this, the H Division RCMP received the first call to 9-1-1 related to a shooting at a home in Portapique. Officers arrived at 10:26 p.m. and located a male leaving the area with a non-life-threatening injury. They learned that this man was shot while driving his vehicle. The victim indicated a vehicle drove by him while he was driving, and the shot came from the passing vehicle. Officers arranged for an ambulance to attend to the victim and he was taken to hospital by Emergency Health Services (EHS). The first three (3) members to arrive on scene entered the community on foot to locate and stop the threat. They located two (2) people who were deceased outside. There were also several structures already on fire. In total, there were over seven (7) locations where people were found deceased.
While the situation was unfolding, the Critical Incident Program was engaged and staging to take control of the critical incident, and perimeters were established. Specialized Units responded including Police Dog Services, Emergency Response Teams and a Department of Natural Resources helicopter. The Explosives Disposal Unit, Crisis Negotiators and the Emergency Medical Response Team were on stand-by. Within a very short time, specialized units and resources from J Division RCMP in New Brunswick were also engaged. Over a lengthy period of time, first responders engaged in clearing residences, searching for suspects, and providing life saving measures. H Division Operational Communications Centre (OCC) Telecommunicators remained on the line with witnesses in the immediate area.
Early into the RCMP’s involvement, the RCMP learned of a possible suspect and that the individual lived in a home in Portapique. The possible suspect’s home and garages were fully engulfed in flames. Two (2) decommissioned police vehicles as well as a third vehicle were also burning on the property. The RCMP learned that the gunman was in possession of a pistol and long barreled weapons. He was known to own several vehicles that looked like police vehicles. Efforts to locate the suspect continued throughout the night.
After 6:30am on April 19, 2020, a victim emerged from hiding after she called 9-1-1. RCMP officers responded and it was at that time that, through a significant key witness, investigators confirmed more details about Gabriel Wortman. This included the fact that he was in possession of a fully marked replica RCMP vehicle and was wearing a police uniform. He was in possession of several firearms that included pistols and long guns.
At that time, a Be on the Look Out (BOLO) was issued—a bulletin that included a description of the suspect and vehicle was sent to all police officers in NS. Containment of the scenes was maintained and investigators continued to search for the suspect.
Cluster 2 - Wentworth, Glenholme, and Debert, NS – April 19, 2020
Over 11 hours after investigators’ initial arrival in Portapique, the RCMP began receiving a second series of 9-1-1 calls in an area more than 60 km away. The investigation revealed that the gunman attended a residence on Hunter Road in the Wentworth area. At that location, the gunman killed two (2) men and one (1) woman, and set the residence on fire. At least two (2) of the victims at that residence were known to the gunman.
The investigation uncovered that the gunman then continued southbound on Highway 4 from Wentworth to the Glenholme area. He encountered a woman out walking and shot the woman at roadside. The gunman then travelled to a residence on Highway 4 in Glenholme, where he knocked on the door. As he was known to the occupants, they identified him to 9-1-1 call takers and said he was driving a police vehicle and carrying a long gun. The occupants did not answer the door and the gunman left. He then drove towards Debert. At that point, he encountered two (2) people driving their vehicles. A witness described that he pulled beside one (1) of the vehicles and shot the lone occupant. He then continued driving down the same road, encountered a second vehicle and shot and killed the female driver of that vehicle. The distance spanning the second series of events, from the timing of the first call on Hunter Road to the last incident, was approximately 44 km.
Another police-involved shooting took place at the Onslow Belmont Fire Brigade hall after the two (2) women had been killed in Debert, whereby two (2) RCMP members discharged their firearms towards a civilian matching the gunman’s description standing beside a marked police vehicle, who they mistook for the gunman. Shots were fired, but no one was injured. The Nova Scotia Serious Incident Investigation Team investigated both police-involved shootings and cleared the members.
Cluster 3 - Shubenacadie, Milford and Enfield, NS – April 19, 2020
Cst. Chad Morrison and Cst. Heidi Stevenson were both responding to the incident. They were in communication and arranged to meet. Cst. Morrison was waiting for Cst. Stevenson at Highway 2 and Highway 224. What appeared to be a marked RCMP vehicle approached Cst. Morrison. As he and Cst. Stevenson had prearranged to meet at that location, Cst. Morrison thought the vehicle was being driven by Cst. Stevenson. The approaching “police vehicle” was driven by the gunman who pulled up beside Cst. Morrison and immediately opened fire. Cst. Morrison received several gunshot wounds and began to retreat from the area, driving his vehicle away from the scene. He notified other officers and dispatch that he had been shot and that he was en route to EHS station for emergency medical attention.
During that time, Cst. Stevenson was already driving northbound on Highway 2 to meet Cst. Morrison, while the gunman was travelling southbound on Highway 2. At that point, the gunman drove his vehicle head-on into Cst. Stevenson’s vehicle. Cst. Stevenson engaged gunfire with the gunman and during the encounter, the gunman took her life. He also took her service pistol and pistol magazines. A passerby stopped and was fatally shot by the gunman. The gunman then set both Cst. Stevenson’s vehicle and his replica police vehicle on fire. He left the scene driving south on Highway 224 in the passerby’s vehicle, a silver SUV. The gunman travelled south on Highway 224 for a short distance, where he entered a home on the eastside of Highway 224. The residence happened to be the home of a woman known to the gunman. The gunman shot and killed the female resident, removed the police clothing he was wearing and transferred his weapons to the female victim’s vehicle, a grey Mazda 3.
The gunman travelled south on Highway 224 in the female victim’s vehicle, coming to the Big Stop Irving in Enfield. While he was at the gas pumps, two (2) of the RCMP’s tactical resources came into the gas station to refuel their vehicle. When the officer who was driving exited the vehicle, there was an encounter and the gunman was shot and killed by police at 11:26 a.m. The distance the gunman travelled from the first shooting of Cst. Morrison to the encounter with police at the Big Stop is approximately 23 km.
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