Man kills 16 in Canada shooting rampage

TRENTON, Canada

At least 16 people across Nova Scotia, Canada were killed by a gunman dressed as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer, police said Sunday.

One of the dead is a mountie and another officer was injured. The suspect was shot dead by police.

No details have been released about the victims, but the killing apparently took place in various locations in the province.

The killings began just before midnight Saturday and continued into Sunday as the suspect, Gabriel Wortman, 51, dressed as a mountie and driving a car made to look like a RCMP vehicle, made his way across the province.

Wortman is listed as a denturist who had a dental prosthesis clinic in Portapique, a community of about 300 residents in Nova Scotia where he also lived. He also reportedly had several properties in Portapique and some cities.

The rampage also began in Portapique.

After police initially confirmed that there were at least 10 victims, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki later confirmed that the death toll had risen to 16, plus the shooter.

The incident is going down as the bloodiest shooting in the country's history, as the number of victims surpassed the 1989 Polytechnique massacre in Montreal which left 14 people dead.

“I never imagined when I went to bed last night that I would wake up to the horrific news that an active shooter was on the loose in Nova Scotia,” Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil told a Sunday press conference.

“This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history.”

During his coronavirus update on Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also addressed the incident.

“My heart goes out to everyone affected in what is a terrible situation,” he said.

The suspect apparently set at least two RCMP vehicles and some homes on fire, but the RCMP declined to comment on the house fires.

Police first said the suspect was captured but later said he was killed at a gas station.

“Today is a devastating day for Nova Scotia, and it will remain etched in the minds of many for years to come,” said RCMP officer Lee Berman.

The full death toll may not be known as police are still investigating possible crime scenes. The victims have not been identified.

As of Sunday, no motive for the killings had been determined.