ENFIELD, N.S. - More than 10 people are dead following a shooting rampage in rural Nova Scotia. The suspect and an RCMP officer are among the dead.
The death toll is expected to rise as the investigation continues.
A source with knowledge of the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed the suspect died Sunday at the Enfield, Nova Scotia gas station, about 35 kilometres northwest of downtown Halifax.
The suspect was identified by police as 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman. Police believe he acted alone.
A 23-year veteran of the RCMP, identified as Constable Heidi Stevenson was killed and another was injured in Nova Scotia's Colchester County during a manhunt that police say resulted in "multiple victims.''
Earlier in the day, the RCMP stated that the suspect was driving a car that looked like a police vehicle, but by 11 a.m. local time Sunday he was “believed to be driving a small, silver Chevrolet SUV,” travelling southbound on Highway 102.
This is a tweet that was sent out late Saturday night, warning people about a suspicious vehicle to keep an eye out for, with a fake police decal.
RCMP/@RCMPNS
The Mounties had asked residents in the rural town of Portapique, where the incident began Saturday night, to stay in their homes with their doors locked and to call if anyone was seen in the area.
In an earlier tweet, the police force identified the suspect as Wortman, describing him as “armed and dangerous.”
A Gabriel Wortman is listed as a denturist in Dartmouth, according to the Denturist Society of Nova Scotia website.
A suspect photo issued by the RCMP matches video footage of a man being interviewed about dentures by CTV Atlantic in 2014.
CTV Atlantic
CTV ATLANTIC
Tom Taggart, a councillor who represents the Portapique area said the quiet community has been shaken.
“This is just an absolutely wonderful, peaceful quiet community and the idea that this could happen in our community is unbelievable,” Taggart said by phone from his home in Bass River, about three km from the lockdown area.
“People live here because of the peace and quiet and it’s just an absolute tragedy.”
Taggart said he didn’t know Wortman well, but spoke to him a few times when he telephoned about municipal issues.
Taggart described knowing Wortman’s “lovely big home” on Portapique Beach Road. He said Wortman owned a few other properties in the community and was believed to divide his time between Portapique and his business in Dartmouth.
He described Portapique as “cottage country,” with about 100 year-round residents and 250 in the summer.
“You just don’t even dream that this is going to happen,” he said. “I can’t fathom it.”
Police identified Wortman about nine hours after an initial tweet around midnight asking people to avoid the Portapique area and stay indoors, as officers responded to a firearms complaint.
Officers received a call about “a person with firearms” at around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday and the investigation “evolved into an active shooting investigation.”
Tim Krochak/AP
— With files from Holly McKenzie-Sutter