TORONTO – Police fanned out across more than a dozen crime scenes Monday after a rampage by a gunman disguised as a police officer left at least 18 dead and homes in smoldering ruins in rural communities across Nova Scotia — the deadliest mass shooting in Canada's history.
Officials said the suspect, identified as Gabriel Wortman, 51, also died in the attack. Authorities did not provide a motive for the killings, but they believe he acted alone. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said he was not well known to police.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said Monday that police teams were spread out at 16 locations. He said some of the victims knew Wortman and some didn't. Leather said they expect to find more victims once they are able to comb through all the crime scenes, some of which were houses set ablaze as victims were inside, adhering to government calls to stay at home because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The dead included a policewoman. Another officer was wounded and was recovering at home, Leather said.
"The 18 innocent lives lost will be remembered throughout Canada's history," Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted how close-knit the small province of Nova Scotia is. "The vast majority of Nova Scotians will have a direct link with one or more of the victims. The entire province and country is grieving right now as we come to grips with something that is unimaginable," he said.
The 12-hour rampage began late Saturday in the rural town of Portapique, about 60 miles north of Halifax, where police warned residents to lock their doors and stay in their basements as the attack unfolded.
Several bodies were later found inside and outside one house on Portapique Beach Road, the street where the suspect lived, authorities said. Bodies were also found at other locations within about a 30-mile area, and authorities believe the shooter may have targeted his first victims but then began attacking randomly.
