New details of the violence and chaos of a deadly rampage in Nova Scotia emerged on Monday, as the death toll swelled to at least 19 victims and police worked at 16 crime scenes around the province – while warning the number of victims in Canada’s worst mass shooting is expected to rise further in the days to come.
“We have had five structure fires, most of those being residences, and we believe there may be victims still within the remains of those homes which burned to the ground,” RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said in a press conference in Dartmouth on Monday afternoon. “That part of the investigation is still very much ongoing.”
Among the victims who have been publicly identified are RCMP Constable Heidi Stevenson, a 23-year veteran of the force and a mother of two; correctional services managers Alanna Jenkins and Sean Macleod; elementary school teacher Lisa McCully; Heather O’Brien, a nurse from Truro; and three members of the same family, Jolene Oliver, Emily Tuck and Aaron (Friar) Tuck.
The killer has been identified by police as Gabriel Wortman, a 51-year-old denturist and owner of the Atlantic Denture Clinic in Dartmouth. He is among the dead.
At least 19 dead in Nova Scotia shooting rampage: RCMP /via @globeandmail https://t.co/vuIivP4yy5
— Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) April 20, 2020