Deadliest shooting rampage in Canadian history leaves 16 dead

(Image credit: Tim Krochak/AFP via Getty Images)

published 20 April 2020

At least 16 people were killed on Sunday after a gunman dressed like a police officer went on a shooting spree across several communities in Nova Scotia, Canada.

This is the deadliest such attack in Canadian history. One of the victims is Constable Heidi Stevenson, a 23-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and mother of two. Authorities said the suspect, identified as 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman, is also dead.

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Authorities said they believe the suspect did target the victims at the Portapique home, even though several of them did not know him, but his later attacks were random. RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather said the suspect used a gun and possibly "other methods" during his rampage, as several homes in the Portapique area were set on fire. Because there are so many different crime scenes, police said the death toll could rise.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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