JAKARTA - A gunman disguised himself as a policeman and shot people who were nearby. As many as 16 of them died as a result of the attacks that took place in the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The authorities said the shooting lasted 12 hours. It has also been described as the country's worst modern-day mass shooting.
According to Reuters, Monday, April 20, among the victims of the shooting in various areas, one of the victims was 23-year-old Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer Heidi Stevenson.
The RCMP said the gunman, Gabriel Wortman, was a dentist and was 51 years old. When carrying out the action, he used a police uniform. He also painstakingly disguised his car to look like a police car.
The police added that after the shooting, Wortman was killed, but there were no reports of how he died.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki told Canadian Broadcasting Corp there is currently no indication that the killings were linked to acts of terrorism.
Apart from that, the police also said there was no clear connection between Wortman and some of his victims. They also said they still did not know what motive Wortman had for carrying out the action.
"Today is a devastating day for Nova Scotia, and it will remain etched in the minds for many years to come," said Lee Bergerman, commander of the RCMP in Nova Scotia.
This death toll exceeds that of the Montreal massacre in 1989 when a gunman killed 15 women.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada, which has stricter gun control laws than the United States.
Nova Scotia, like other areas of Canada, is under orders to stay home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Police learned of the killings Saturday evening April 18 after reports of shooting at a house in the small coastal town of Portapique, about 130 km north of the provincial capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax.
"When the police arrived at the scene, members found several victims inside and outside the house," said Chris Leather, an RCMP criminal operations officer in Nova Scotia.
Several buildings in the city caught fire and police exchanged gunfire with Wortman. Wortman also killed people in several other locations.
"We are not fully aware of the total number," said Leather.
"The fact that this guy has a uniform and a police car ready to talk is definitely not a random move," said Leather.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government would immediately assist Nova Scotia as they "recovered" from this tragedy.
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