Witnesses have begun to describe the chaos during Sunday’s deadly shooting rampage in Nova Scotia, Canada, that killed at least 16 people at multiple crime scenes and left victims “scattered across the province.”
A truck driver from Ontario told CTV News he stopped at a gas station where the suspect, Gabriel Wortman, 51, was taken into custody, and later died.
Tom Nurani said he stopped to shower and have breakfast when he heard an employee shouting.
CANADA SHOOTING RAMPAGE KILLS AT LEAST 16 INCLUDING POLICEWOMAN; DEADLIEST SUCH ATTACK IN COUNTRY’S HISTORY
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers prepare to take a suspect into custody at a gas station in Enfield, Nova Scotia on Sunday, April 19, 2020. (Tim Krochak/The Canadian Press via AP)
“She goes, ‘Oh my God, lock the doors, he’s here!’ And I peek out of the window and I saw some Royal Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP] vehicles and there was four or five uniforms with guns,” said Nurani.
Other witnesses told the news division they saw police vehicles at the scene, heard gunshots, and saw a body on the ground.
“All I could hear was gunshots and my wife, I thought I was going to call 911 because she was going into panic, it scared her so bad,” said Glen Hines, who was driving by the station.
“There was multiple, like probably between five or 10 [gunshots]. It was steady,” recalled Deon Wells, who lives in the area, according to CTV News.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers prepare to take a suspect into custody at a gas station in Enfield, Nova Scotia. (Tim Krochak/The Canadian Press via AP)
Chris Leather, the police superintendent, wouldn’t confirm the suspect was shot by police but he did say “officers were involved in terminating the threat,” according to CTV News.
Wortman went on a 12-hour rampage and apparently disguised himself as a police officer. The vehicle he was in was believed to be a mock-up made to look like an RCMP cruiser.
One of his victims was a 23-year veteran on the Nova Scotia RCMP, Constable Heidi Stevenson, a mother of two.
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“Heidi answered the call of duty and lost her life while protecting those she served,” police said.
A possible motive for the shooter was unclear as police said many of his victims did not know the killer. Several bodies turned up inside and outside a home in the town of Portapique, which police called the first crime scene.
Wortman is listed as a denturist in the city of Dartmouth, near Halifax, according to the Denturist Society of Nova Scotia website. A suspect photo issued by the RCMP appears to be of the same person seen in video footage being interviewed about dentures by CTV Atlantic in 2014.
“My heart goes out to everyone affected in what is a terrible situation,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said while adding it was an additional “heavy burden” amid efforts to contain the coronavirus.
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Christine Mills, a resident of the area, said it was a frightening night for her as armed officers patrolled the streets and helicopters flew overhead looking for the suspect.
“It’s nerve-wracking because you don’t know if somebody has lost their mind and is going to beat in your front door,” she said.
Several building fires were reported as well, but police didn’t immediately confirm details.
Bergerman added that “countless families” are in mourning today who need the support of others. It was described as the deadliest such attack in Canadian history.
“Today is a devastating day for Nova Scotia and it will remain etched in the minds of many, for years to come,” said Bergerman.
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Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada. The country overhauled its gun-control laws after gunman Marc Lepine killed 14 women and himself at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique college in 1989. Before this weekend’s rampage, that had been the country’s worst.
Fox News’ Robert Gearty, Mike Arroyo and The Associated Press contributed to this report
