A gunman disguised as a police officer killed at least 16 people during a 12-hour rampage across the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, authorities said on Sunday, which is the worst case of its kind in the country's history.
A police officer was among the victims. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the shootings occurred in the small Atlantic coastal town of Portapique, about 128 kilometers from the provincial capital, Halifax.
Portapique residents said the incident started late Saturday night when police urged everyone to stay inside and lock their doors. The town is already under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over 12 hours, the gunman, reportedly wearing an RCMP uniform and driving a car made to resemble an RCMP vehicle, shot multiple people in a number of locations in the province. As of Sunday, authorities said they were still looking for a motive.
When it was over, the RCMP said gunman Gabriel Wortman, 51, a denture maker from Halifax, was dead after a car chase ended in the town of Enfield. Police emphasized that he was not a member of the RCMP.
One local resident said she had come across two burning police vehicles while out driving on Sunday morning.
"There was one officer we could see on scene and then all of a sudden, he went running toward one of the burning vehicles," Darcy Sack told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
"We heard gunshots," she said, adding that one police officer looked to have been injured.
"When police arrived at the scene, the members located several casualties inside and outside of the home," RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said at a news conference, CNN reported.
Leather said an overnight search for the shooter led them to several crime scenes kilometers apart. The suspect was eventually spotted late Sunday morning at a truck stop several kilometers away from a crime scene.
"The search for the suspect ended this morning when the suspect was located, and I can confirm that he is deceased," said Leather.
"Of course that's an important element in the investigation－the fact that this individual had a uniform and a police car at his disposal certainly speaks to it not being a random act," Leather said, adding that many of the victims did not know the shooter, and police believe he acted alone.
Leather said police would be investigating if there was any connection to the coronavirus, which has seen nonessential businesses closed under measures to combat the pandemic.
Media reports said the shooter worked with dental clinics in Halifax and Dartmouth. Dentists in Nova Scotia have been ordered to close unless needed for emergency procedures.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada, which has tighter gun control laws than the United States.
Gun ownership is relatively common in Canada, which ranked fifth in a recent survey of civilian firearms per capita, but mass shootings are rare.
This weekend's attack was believed to be Canada's deadliest shooting since a gunman shot 14 women to death at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique in 1989.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking to reporters in Ottawa, deplored what he called "a terrible situation".
Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil told reporters that "this is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province's history".
The RCMP identified the fallen officer as Constable Heidi Stevenson, a 23-year veteran of the force and a mother of two.
"Our hearts are heavy with grief and sadness today as we have lost one of our own," Brian Sauve, president of the National Police Federation, said in a statement. "A second dedicated member was injured in the line of duty today."
Agencies contributed to this story.
