The death toll continues to grow after the worst shooting event in Canadian history.
Gabriel Wortman, 51, went on a weekend rampage in Nova Scotia that is believed to have begun with him killing his ex-partner and her boyfriend before evolving into a 12-hour rash of violence that included the slaying of a 23-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. By Tuesday, at least 23 people had died as a result of the rampage.
Wortman, who also died after a police manhunt, has been accused of planning the attack in advance.
“He’s been planning this for a while,” police sources told the Toronto Sun. “He had the uniform and two decommissioned police cars.”
The source said victims of the attack “would have trusted him” as Wortman had dressed up in a RCMP officer uniform and used a decommissioned police car in the attack.
Nova Scotia RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said Monday that authorities are “relatively confident we’ve identified all the crime scenes,” according to Reuters. However, he added that because Wortman lit residences on fire, there could still be victims buried in the rubble.
“There could be more [deaths],” another police source told the Toronto Sun. “There were burned homes that have not been searched. Officers have been going into homes and finding bodies.”
During one of the attacks, Wortman reportedly pulled Constable Heidi Stevenson, a mother of two, from her police car and killed her execution-style. He was later killed by officers after being cornered at a gas station.
There is not yet a clear motive for the crime, but RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said the rampage is not believed to be terrorism-related despite the shooting coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.
Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil described the massacre as “one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history.”
The White House commented on the news and offered condolences to Canada in a Monday evening press release.
“The United States and Canada share a special, enduring bond. As friends and neighbors, we will always stand with one another through our most trying times and greatest challenges. The United States strongly condemns these murders, and our prayers are with the victims and their families,” the statement read.
