Deadliest Shooting in Canadian History Kills 18

Photo Courtesy: The Associated Press

4/20/2020

By: Jacob Hitz

The worst mass shooting in Canadian history occurred on Sunday, as a gunman disguised as a police officer opened fire on people in their homes in Portapique, Nova Scotia, killing at least 18 people, including a police officer.

The suspect was identified as 51-year-old Gabrial Wortman and died as a result of the shooting, however it is unclear if he was killed by police or if he took his own life.  Police have yet to announce any motive behind the shooting.

Canadian police believe that Wortman’s attack began targeting certain people in their homes, before expanding and attacking houses at random.  Bodies were found within 50-kilometers from the neighborhood where the shootings began, with several homes in the area being set on fire by Wortman.  

The police officer killed in the shooting was identified as Constable Heidi Stevenson, who served 23 years for the department and was a mother of two.  Another officer was injured, no report on his or her condition.  

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke on Monday requesting that the media refrain from using the gunman’s name or picture.  “Do not give this person the gift of infamy,” Trudeau said.

This was the worst mass shooting in Canadian history, and the worst since a shooting at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique College in 1989, which killed 14 and launched a gun-control law overhaul in the country.  This is also the worst attack seen in the country since a van attack killed 10 on a Toronto sidewalk in April 2018.