Canada Mass Shooting: At Least 10 Dead, Including Gunman And Police Officer, After Manhunt In Nova Scotia

A shooting rampage Sunday in Canada has left at least 10 people dead left, including the gunman and a police officer dead. A 12-hour manhunt through Nova Scotia was carried out to pursue the alleged shooter, Gabriel Wortman, who was eventually confronted near a gas station in the rural community of Enfield, according to CBC News.

Wortman, 51, was alleged to have impersonated police before carrying out the shootings, wearing a uniform and driving a fake police cruiser. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that he was not employed by the service. The vehicle Wortman allegedly used was identifiable as fake by the number near its rear windows.

Police first responded to a weapons complaint late on Saturday night, and later began referring to the incident as an "active shooter" situation the following morning. The gunman was tracked down near a gas station after police were called about a shooting. By 3:45 p.m. ET, CBC News confirmed that Wortman and at least one RCMP officer had been killed. Another police officer was injured and is being treated at a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The investigation is ongoing and police say the death toll could grow.

Witnesses told media that they saw multiple house fires in Nova Scotia that are believed to have been linked to the shootings.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his heart went out to “everyone affected in what is a terrible situation.”

“I never imagined when I went to bed last night that I would wake up to the horrific news that an active shooter was on the loose in Nova Scotia,” Stephen McNeil, Premier for Nova Scotia, said in a statement. “This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history.”

The shooting occurred in the rural town of Portapique, described by one resident as “an absolutely wonderful, peaceful quiet community.” The town is located near the shores of Cobequid Bay and has a population that varies between 100 and 250 depending on the season.

Wortman was known to work in the town as a licensed denturist and maintained residences in both Portapique and in Halifax over 130 kilometers away. Enfield, the town in which he was killed, is located over 80 miles away from Portapique on the way to Halifax, suggesting that Wortman was fleeing to his other home in the city.