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Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia massacre death toll jumps to 23: RCMP

Apr 21, 2020 | 2:05 PM

HALIFAX – The number of people who died in a rampage by a Halifax man impersonating an RCMP officer has risen to 23, including a 17-year-old, with bodies found in five Nova Scotia communities.

A release today by the RCMP confirms the murders began in Portapique, on Cobequid Bay, and that when police arrived they discovered several casualties inside and outside of a home.

Police say they are working at 16 specific locations in Portapique, Wentworth, Debert, Shubenacadie, Milford and Enfield to gather evidence and learn more about what occurred.

They have previously stated that there were five building fires at various locations and bodies have been recovered from those crime scenes.

Some of the victims were known and targeted by Gabriel Wortman, a 51-year-old denturist who police have named as the shooter, while others were not known to him.

The incident began at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday when a firearms call came in, and ended at around noon on Sunday when police shot and killed Wortman at a gas station in Enfield, N.S.

(The Canadian Press)