At least 18 people were killed after a gunman disguised as a police officer went on a shooting spree at multiple locations across Nova Scotia, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police declared an active shooter situation at around 11:30pm on Saturday night after responding to shootings in the town of Portapique. The suspect was later identified as Gabriel Wortman, 51, a denturist who had disguised his car as an RCMP vehicle.
“A gunman claimed the lives of at least 18 people, among them a woman in uniform whose job it is to protect lives even if it endangers her own,” Trudeau said.
One of the victims included a female constable who had responded to the active shooter incident. Another RCMP officer is also in hospital, but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Police believe the attacker targeted his victims specifically at first before attacking strangers at random. Authorities said Saturday night that the gunman had been “detained” but shortly after clarified that he was “deceased” after a firefight.
The Nova Scotia shootings are now the deadliest mass killing in Canada's history.
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