The man behind a deadly Nova Scotia rampage, which began in the quiet town of Portapique on Cobequid Bay, disguised himself as a police officer as he led authorities on a miles-long manhunt across the Canadian province.
The shooter, who at one point was driving a vehicle resembling a police cruiser, is believed to have pulled over random motorists before killing them, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN.
When the manhunt ended about 12 hours later, the 51-year-old gunman had killed 18 people, including a police constable, a corrections officer, a nurse and a teacher.
Another police officer was injured, police said, and in Shubenacadie, there were reports of gunshots and torched police vehicles, according to one of CNN’s media partners.
The gunman, identified as Gabriel Wortman, left a trail of 16 crime scenes that authorities are still working to process, officials say. The death toll may rise, police said.
“We’re unable to fully examine the crime scenes because, for instance, we have had five structure fires, most of those being residences, and we believe there may be victims still within the remains of those homes which burnt to the ground,” said Chris Leather, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police chief superintendent and criminal operations officer in Nova Scotia.
Wortman was killed in a shootout with police in Enfield, about 60 miles from the initial crime scene, Leather said.
The motive behind the shooting, one of Canada’s deadliest, is under investigation, Leather said. Wortman knew some of his victims, police said, while others were strangers.
Source: Gunman evaded police for nearly 12 hours and killed at least 18 in Canada
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