Commission examining N.S. mass killing announces inquiry participants
Participants include families, advocacy groups, police organizations
The commission charged with investigating the mass killing in Nova Scotia in April 2020 has announced who has been approved to participate in the proceedings.
The inquiry will probe the circumstances that led to the shootings on April 18 and 19, 2020, when Gabriel Wortman disguised himself as an RCMP officer and killed 22 people over a span of 13 hours.
The inquiry will look at how police and various federal and provincial agencies responded, and how victims, their families and citizens were informed and supported.
It will also examine issues such as gender-based violence, access to firearms, the disposal of surplus police equipment, the shooter's previous interactions with police, other police actions, communications with the public and between police forces, and police policies and training.
In March, the commission invited people and organizations with a "substantial and direct interest" to apply to participate.
"The April 2020 mass casualty visited unthinkable pain upon the families of those who were killed and their communities," the commission said in the decision document released Thursday.
"It sent shock waves throughout the Province of Nova Scotia that reverberated throughout our entire country. The sheer magnitude of its repercussions prompts us to interpret 'substantial and direct interest' broadly so that we may hear as many affected and interested voices as possible."
A memorial sprung up at a church near where some of the killings took place. (Robert Short/CBC)
All of the families of the victims except for that of RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson, who was killed by Wortman in the final hours of the rampage, have asked to participate.
The shooter's common-law spouse, Lisa Banfield, also applied to be a part of the process. Banfield has been charged with providing the gunman with some of the ammunition he used during the rampage, although police say she didn't know what he was planning.
The commission received more than 60 applications for participation. Forms of participation may include testifying under oath, participating in roundtable discussions, providing expert reports or opinion evidence.
The federal and provincial governments have already been invited to participate. The RCMP is included in the federal government's participation rights.
Families and those most affected
Those most affected by the killings, including family members of victims, are also welcomed to participate in the investigation.
The following people have been accepted under that category:
- Bagley family
- Beaton family
- Blair family
- Bond family
- Campbell family
- Ellison family
- Goulet family
- Gulenchyn/Madsen family
- Jenkins family
- McCully family
- McLeod family
- O'Brien family
- Oliver/Tuck family
- Thomas/Zahl family
- Webber family
- Lisa Banfield
- Beverly Beaton
- Mallory Colpitts
- Darrell Currie
- Adam Fisher
- Carole Fisher
- Leon Joudrey
- Tara Long
- Andrew MacDonald
- Greg Muise
- Bernie Murphy
- Deb Thibeault
Eleven other people applied, but the commission said it requires more information from them before it can make a decision about their participation.
The following organizations have been accepted as participants:
Victim advocacy organizations
- Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime (CRCVC)
- Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police - National Working Group Supporting Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence (CACP NWG)
- Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime (OFOVC)
Health-related organizations
- Nova Scotia Nurses Union (NSNU)
- Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU)
- Along the Shore Health Board (ATSHB)
Firearm organizations
- Canadian Coalition for Gun Control (CCGC)
- Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights (CCFR)
Justice organizations
- BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA)
- East Coast Prison Justice Society (ECPJS)
- Nova Scotia Legal Aid (NSLA)
Gender-based organizations
- Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)
- Avalon Sexual Assault Centre
- Wellness Within
- Feminists Fighting Femicide
- Persons Against Non-State Torture
- Women's Shelters Canada
- Transition House Association of Nova Scotia
- Be the Peace Institute
- Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia
Police-related organizations
- Atlantic Police Association (APA)
- Canadian Police Association (CPA)
- National Police Federation (NPF)
- Nova Scotia Chiefs of Police Association (NSCPA)
- RCMP Veterans Association of Nova Scotia (RCMP-VANS)
- Truro Police Service (TPS)
Shedding light on domestic violence
Emma Halpern, the executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia, said her group was troubled that Banfield, who was abused by the shooter, was criminalized in the aftermath of the killings.
Halpern said she hopes to help the commission understand the experience of domestic violence, the criminalization of victims and how the criminal justice system affects women.
She's also hoping governments will come up with the money and have the will to implement recommendations from the commission.
"That is where I think we have fallen short in prior commissions, is we haven't done the work to properly fund and resource what's needed to make the changes following the recommendations. And that's what really needs to happen if we're going to see change."
Concern about further gun regulations
Rod Giltaca, the CEO and executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, said he wanted to participate in the commission's proceedings to provide information about the "divisive" issue of private firearm ownership in Canada.
"Our concern is that anti-gun groups in Canada, they disseminate a lot of disinformation based on their ideological pursuits, and accurate information and unbiased information is absolutely essential if we're going to take seriously the idea of figuring out what happened in Nova Scotia and how it could be prevented, if it could," he said.
Giltaca said he's concerned the mass killings in Nova Scotia could spark "ineffective, discriminatory further regulation" of firearms.
Wortman did not have a firearms licence and obtained the guns he used in the rampage illegally.
But Giltaca said that's not the key issue.
"Where an individual like this procured his firearms is far … less important than the mechanism that allowed him to carry out this rampage — the most significant one being the fact that he was dressed as an RCMP officer and drove a replica cruiser that allowed him to move virtually unimpeded throughout the entire area, doing whatever he wanted," he said.
In a statement, the National Police Federation said it's pleased to take part in the inquiry.
"Properly executed, the Commission will determine what happened and, most importantly, what factors led to this tragic event," said president Brian Sauvé. "Only then can we collectively and meaningfully address what needs to be fixed and begin to move from hurt to healing."
The commission's final report is due in November 2022.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Jean Laroche
People, groups invited to apply to participate in inquiry into N.S. mass killing
Participants must demonstrate 'direct and substantial interest' in commission mandate
The team leading a public inquiry into the killing of 22 people in Nova Scotia last April is inviting people and groups to apply to participate in the inquiry process.
The Mass Casualty Commission is a joint federal-provincial body that will investigate the events of April 18 and 19, 2020, when Gabriel Wortman killed 22 people and burned several buildings over a span of 13 hours.
The inquiry will probe the circumstances that led to the killings, how police and various federal and provincial agencies responded, and how victims, their families and citizens were informed and supported.
It will also examine issues such as gender-based violence, access to firearms, the shooter's previous interactions with police, other police actions, communications with the public and between police forces, and police policies and training.
Families of the victims, as well as the federal and provincial governments, have already been given an opportunity to participate in the inquiry. The process is now open to other people and groups who must show a "direct and substantial interest" in the commission's mandate.
People and groups may represent themselves or be represented by a lawyer or another person, with the permission of the commission. The commission will decide how people or groups will be allowed to participate.
Participants may also apply for funding to join the inquiry.
Applications to be part of the inquiry must be submitted by April 6.
Members of the public will be able to observe the inquiry without having participant status.
New team members named
The commission has previously announced the people who will direct the inquiry, and has now named new members of the commission. They include:
- Roger Burrill, a lawyer who works with the Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission.
- Jennifer Cox, a Truro, N.S.-based lawyer with experience in public inquiries.
- Emily Hill, a lawyer who has worked for Aboriginal Legal Services in Ontario.
- Gillian Hnatiw, a civil litigation lawyer with expertise in claims about sexual assault, abuse and exploitation.
- Kate Kehoe, a lawyer with experience in gender-based violence and the integrity of police investigations.
- Joel Kulmatycki, a recently retired homicide detective with the Toronto Police Service.
- Anna Mancini, a criminal defence lawyer with Nova Scotia Legal Aid.
- Lee Seshagiri, a lawyer at Nova Scotia Legal Aid.
- Rachel Young, a lawyer for the Ontario Securities Commission.
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N.S. man stood guard with a shotgun after the mass shooter rang his doorbell
Warning: this story contains photos of the gunman
The gunman then knocked on the door of Adam and Carole Fisher's house in Glenholme, N.S., but never passed in front of the window while Adam Fisher was watching with a gun, prepared to "blow his f—ing head off," according to documents released Thursday by the Mass Casualty Commission.
The gunman was only at the Fishers' property off Highway 4 for about two minutes before taking off again, as the noise of a helicopter helping police in the search grew louder.
Five minutes later, a group of RCMP officers and emergency response team members pulled up near the Fishers' driveway and began planning to surround the house.
No one had seen the gunman leave. He would go on to kill five more people that morning before being shot dead by police.
The details surrounding the Fishers' close call and other events that transpired in Glenholme on the morning of April 19, 2020, hours after the shooting rampage began in the nearby community of Portapique, are included in the newly released documents from the commission.
Twenty-two people died on April 18 and 19. Top row from left: Gina Goulet, Dawn Gulenchyn, Jolene Oliver, Frank Gulenchyn, Sean McLeod, Alanna Jenkins. Second row: John Zahl, Lisa McCully, Joey Webber, Heidi Stevenson, Heather O'Brien and Jamie Blair. Third row from top: Kristen Beaton, Lillian Campbell, Joanne Thomas, Peter Bond, Tom Bagley and Greg Blair. Bottom row: Emily Tuck, Joy Bond, Corrie Ellison and Aaron Tuck. (CBC)
The commission is tasked with examining the events of April 18 and 19, 2020, when Gabriel Wortman killed 22 people, including a pregnant woman.
Investigators with the commission gathered details from 911 call logs, interviews and statements from civilian witnesses and RCMP officers on the ground.
Cpl. Rodney Peterson of Colchester RCMP reported to work at the Bible Hill detachment the morning of April 19, having heard only a few things from colleagues about what had happened in Portapique the night before.
Staff Sgt. Andy O'Brien met Peterson in the parking lot and told him he'd be handling calls coming in that day. As he was walking away, O'Brien said they were still looking "for a police car" and Peterson should put on hard body armour.
Peterson made the same assumption as multiple RCMP officers who had arrived in Portapique. When told by neighbours and witnesses that the gunman was driving a police car, they assumed it was a decommissioned or an older model.
Gunman 'smiled' at Peterson
Peterson arrived on Highway 4 in Glenholme and spotted a marked RCMP cruiser coming toward him just before Plains Road, about 20 kilometres south of where one of the victims, Lillian Campbell, had earlier been shot.
He reported the sighting instantly, and at 9:47 a.m. asked whether the gunman's car was fully marked "or is it an ex-police car?"
The police emergency response team responded they were looking for a fully marked police car with a specific call sign.
"The guy ah, was driving slow, smiled as he went by," Peterson reported, and described the driver as a white man with brownish hair, wearing a reflective vest or jacket.
"That — that's him. That's got to be him," said another RCMP constable on the radio.
In an interview with the commission, Peterson clarified the look on the gunman's face was more of an unsettling grimace, or forced smile, that did not look natural.
A timeline showing how Cpl. Rodney Peterson passed the gunman on Highway 4 the morning of April 19, 2020 and when he turned around to purse the chase. (Mass Casualty Commission)
Peterson was on a bend in the road and had to keep driving until he hit a straight stretch.
In those few seconds when they passed each other, Peterson said he had a million thoughts going through his head about what he should do.
"This is very quick. It's not like I had a lot of time," Peterson told the commission.
"If I stop and this is the bad guy, I'm going to get shot here, I'm going to get killed. If I continue on, that will give me a chance to turn around and pursue him."
But by the time Peterson drove another kilometre, turned around and raced south on Highway 4, he'd lost sight of the gunman.
After passing Peterson, the gunman turned into the Fishers'"lengthy inclined" driveway, which is flanked by trees and more than 200 metres long.
The entrance to the Fishers' driveway on Highway 4, which is inclined and their parking area is blocked by trees. (Mass Casualty Commission)
The gunman had been there once before, and was friendly with Adam Fisher, who had given him a quote for some excavation work on his Portapique property between six to eight years before. Fisher said they had a lot in common, and he had visited the gunman's place a few times.
The Fishers already knew something bad had happened in Portapique, following a late-night call from Carole Fisher's mother who lived near the community. She told them something serious was happening, and they should lock their doors.
Then around 9 a.m, Carole Fisher saw the RCMP's Facebook post sharing a photo of the gunman. She recognized him and showed her husband the photo, who said "[h]oly f—k, he's got a cop car."
Adam Fisher hadn't seen the mock cruiser himself, but the gunman had told him about how he'd bought two decommissioned RCMP cruisers and planned to recreate one as a fully marked car.
When Adam Fisher asked why he'd want that, the gunman shrugged and said "[b]ecause I can."
Gunman approaches house
At 9:37 a.m. Adam Fisher called the RCMP, and told a call taker he had information about the gunman's vehicles. They told him someone would get back to him if needed.
Less than 15 minutes later, his wife saw the mock cruiser pull in. At first she thought it was a Mountie responding to her husband's call, and was annoyed that they'd driven over the front lawn before parking.
But as soon as the gunman got out of the car, she recognized him. She told her husband, called 911 at 9:48 a.m., and ran to hide in the bathroom.
"The shooter is here that shot everyone in ... in Portapique," Carole Fisher said, according to a transcript of her call. "He's at our —at our door yard in a police car, please."
Adam Fisher also called 911 at 9:49 a.m., gave the gunman's full name, told them he was driving a marked police car and "dressed as a police officer."
Surveillance video from the Fisher residence shows the gunman approaching the house the morning of April 19, 2020. Arrows added by the Mass Casualty Commission point to items he held in his hands. The timestamps on the video do not reflect the actual time of day. (Mass Casualty Commission)
While on the phone with 911 he told the dispatcher he saw the shooter grab something from the car that might be a weapon, so he loaded his 12-gauge shotgun and said "if he comes up to my house I'm gonna blow his f—ing head off."
He said later the scene looked like something from a Terminator movie, as the gunman wasn't rushed at all but looked cold and collected approaching the house.
Soon after the gunman rang the bell to the patio door, Adam Fisher said he was keeping a careful eye out the front window and was prepared to shoot him if he came onto the front deck.
He said he was sure the gunman had come to kill them — but had no idea why since they had never had any disputes.
At 9:58 a.m. Adam Fisher told the dispatcher the gunman had driven around to the back of their house and he didn't know where he was.
Gunman leaves after 2 minutes
But by then, he was actually long gone: based on the Fishers' surveillance video and police movements, the commission believes the gunman left the property around 9:51 a.m.
If he'd known when he was leaving, Adam Fisher told police he would have tried to shoot him as he left. In fact, he said they have a driveway sensor that usually beeps in the house to alert them, but for some reason that day it didn't go off.
Speaking to police two days later, Fisher said he and his wife couldn't understand why the gunman left without leaving a mark.
"We're just trying to live, to realize that we are the only friggen survivors and why," he said.
While the Fishers' house was the only one the gunman had approached and not killed anyone inside, Adam Fisher was unaware of other survivors who had been attacked, including the gunman's common-law spouse, Lisa Banfield, and Portapique resident Andrew MacDonald.
RCMP surround Fisher home
When the Fishers' 911 call came in, multiple RCMP members and all responding ERT members were directed to Glenholme, rather than Wentworth where Campbell had been shot.
Staff Sgt. Addie MacCallum, who had pulled out of the command role he'd led overnight to join the Sunday morning chase, was riding with one of the police dog handlers when the call came over the radio.
"And I'm like, 'We got him,'" MacCallum later recalled in a commission interview.
Peterson, the officer who had spotted the shooter, joined up with multiple other RCMP officers at the ramp to Highway 104 at 9:52 a.m. over two kilometres south of the Fishers house, unaware that the gunman had slipped away again just a minute before.
MacCallum's interview with the commission described the confusion at the time, how he heard someone ask, "'Where is he? Where is it?'" at which MacCallum yelled that the address was further up the road.
"And then it was like, 'What the f—k, are we here for? Let's go, let's go,'" MacCallum said, so the police moved up the road and were staged 200 metres south of the Fishers' driveway by 9:56 a.m.
A Department of Natural Resources helicopter was in the air and made it to the Fisher residence at 9:55 a.m. Adam Fisher later said he could hear the helicopter when he first called 911 and it might have scared off the gunman.
Surveillance footage from the Fishers' home on Highway 4 shows the Tactical Armoured Vehicle (TAV) searching their property for the gunman on April 19, 2020. (Mass Casualty Commission )
ERT snipers were sent into the woods surrounding the home as they set up a containment area, and a large tactical armoured vehicle was the first to head up the Fishers' driveway a few minutes later, calling on a loudspeaker for the gunman to surrender.
But the armoured vehicle crew quickly reported there was no mock cruiser in front of the house, an observation echoed by the team in the helicopter. Police searched the area for a few more minutes, before a call came in at 10:07 a.m. there had been another shooting on Plains Road in nearby Debert.
All RCMP members sped to the new scene, leaving the Fishers on the phone with 911. The dispatcher told them about another shooting, and advised the Fishers to stay inside.
They never heard from RCMP again, so on April 20 Adam called police to tell them they had video surveillance of the gunman that might be helpful.
Since the gunman was carrying a small dark object in one hand, and a gun in the other, Adam was worried he might have left some type of explosive on the property. But a police dog team searched the property and found nothing suspicious.
Mental health support
As disturbing details continue to be released from the Mass Casualty Commission, there are various mental health and trauma support services available.
Nova Scotia Health offers online mental health services. The province's toll-free mental health crisis line at 1-888-429-8167, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
People can also call 211 to access mental health support programs.
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‘A couple of glasses of wine,’ poor communications, and indecision about alerting the public were factors in RCMP command decisions after Portapique shootings
The killer’s replica police car. Photo: RCMP
Newly released documents from the public inquiry into the mass murders of April 18/19, 2020 include an interview with Colchester County RCMP District Commander Al Carroll on November 10, 2021 more than 18 months after the tragedy.
A read of the 56-page transcript of the interview reinforces the notion that while the first RCMP officers to reach the scene at Portapique performed their duties bravely and professionally, their leaders missed or failed to act on key pieces of information that might have helped alert the public or get ahead of the killer.
“Worst night of my life”
After a 40-year career as an RCMP officer, Colchester County RCMP District Commander Allan (Al) Carroll was just one month away from retirement when the Portapique mass murder occurred.
Carroll was an old school Mountie who talked about community policing in terms of showing up at Remembrance Day ceremonies, coaching minor hockey, and serving on the boards of directors of local charities.
Carroll said April 18, 2020 “was the worst night of my life.”
Early the next morning, Carroll still had no idea how many victims were yet to be discovered in Portapique. But he was relieved none of the seven RCMP officers who were the first on the scene at Portapique had been killed or injured.
“Every commander, your biggest fear is losing a member,” said Carroll. “And I was scared. I’ve been involved in a lot of situations in the 40 years. In between leaving [the RCMP command post at] Great Village and [arriving at the detachment] debrief in Bible Hill, I went home, hugged my wife, and cried. And I’ve never had that response before.”
Carroll said his wife was also worried. “In 40 years, there’s only two nights she’s ever stayed up — that night, and Moncton.”
Six years previously, when a Moncton gunman ambushed and killed several New Brusnwick RCMP officers, the RCMP detachment in Amherst responded with help. At that time, Carroll was the district commander for Cumberland County.
In 2015, Carroll transferred to Bible Hill to become district commander of Colchester. On the night of April 18, 2020, Carroll’s son Jordan Carroll was a Mountie working at the Amherst detachment, and had been called in to help with the response to Portapique.
Only after the debriefing in Bible Hill did Carroll learn that Cst. Heidi Stevenson of the Enfield detachment had been killed.
Operations NCO “had a couple of glasses of wine”
Shortly after 10pm on April 18, Carroll received a call at home from Sgt. Andy O’Brien, the detachment’s Operations NCO, indicating a man had been shot in Portapique.
O’Brien, who was working from home because of COVID, told Carroll he didn’t want to go out because he had “had a couple of glasses of wine” and he didn’t want someone “to smell it off him.” O’Brien insisted he wasn’t intoxicated, and Carroll thanked O’Brien for letting him know.
Later in the interview, Carroll said he was “surprised” to hear O’Brien’s voice over the radio issuing instructions to the first three constables who had gone down the dark Portapique Beach Road and discovered bodies and burning buildings.
At about 11pm on April 18, Carroll told Cst. Bill Neil that the officer in charge of the Portapique crime scene was Staff-Sgt Brian Rehill, the Risk Manager for Colchester County.
Carroll said Rehill had a better grasp of computerized mapping than did he (Carroll). Two other senior officers — Staff-Sgt Addie MacCallum and Staff-Sgt Steve Halliday — were working out of the Bible Hill office using a wall map of Colchester County. Rehill was also the officer responsible for monitoring the police radio transmissions and information coming into the Operational Communications Centre.
MacCallum was at that time chasing computerized records for the killer’s police car purchases and asking Halifax police to keep eye on the killer’s business in case the denturist returned to Dartmouth.
Carroll talked with the Critical Incident Commander who was assembling the Emergency Response Team, as well as lining up the Great Village fire hall to be used as a command post. Carroll said acting North Nova Superintendent Steve Halliday from Pictou was the lead for the investigation.
In the interview with the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) investigators, Carroll was asked “What was O’Brien’s specific task that night?”
“I don’t recall,” responded Carroll. “He was just helping out and keeping in touch — monitoring the guys (Cst.s Beselt, Patton, and Merchant) and liaising with Rehill. Whether he was tasked with that or took the role on himself…”
Asked about who was in charge of what happened or didn’t happen that night, Carroll said “there was no one person who was responsible. Was it myself, Addie (MacCallum), or Steve’s responsibility? We’re all working together on it.”
Multiple failures to communicate
It’s unclear how many of the hundreds of radio transmissions that went through the Operational Communications Centre on April 18 Carroll heard, or was told about.
Many of the transmissions involved police officers at the scene who talked to witnesses such as Andrew and Kate MacDonald or the Blair and McCully children. Carroll said he did not have a portable radio in his office at the Bible Hill detachment he could use to monitor what police were saying about the incident.
In 2020, the Operational Communications Centre (OCC) where 911 calls were being received was in Truro (the service has since relocated to Burnside in Dartmouth). Carroll recalled that he was immediately informed about the 911 call Jamie Blair made to notify police her husband Greg had been shot by a man in a police vehicle. The call had been been abruptly cut off. Carroll’s instruction to the dispatcher was to keep trying to reach Blair and to use the reverse 911 function to call residents in the area and warn them to stay inside.
Carroll was asked if he was aware of the Alert Ready system operated by Nova Scotia’s Emergency Measures Organization; he replied he “didn’t know it existed.”
He also seemed unaware that the four children had been rescued by two RCMP officers. In the transcript of his interview, he mentioned how the Critical incident Commander (Jeff West), who took over operations shortly after 1am, had used a Tactical Armoured Vehicle to take the children to safety. But Carroll was mistaken on that point; the TAV had been sent in to pick up Clinton Ellison, who was hiding in the woods after finding his brother Corrie’s body.
Carroll also said he was unaware of the identifying information provided by Andrew MacDonald, who survived being shot and injured by the killer at about 10:30pm Saturday. MacDonald gave a detailed description of the police car and also identified the gunman by name and as his neighbour down the Portapique Beach Road. MacDonald’s wife, Kate, mentioned a back road that might possibly be another exit route from the area. All that information was radioed over the Colchester County police channel before 11pm, yet the first Carroll said he learned of that encounter was during a de-brief with Cst.s Beselt, Patton, and Merchant as they came off duty after 3am Sunday.
Carroll said the night before his November 2021 interview with the MCC, he looked at the log of radio transmissions from April 18. “And there’s a lot where I said, I didn’t know that. And that surprised me.”
Police delayed releasing a photo of killer’s car
Carroll was asked by MCC Investigator Wayne Fowler, “When did you become aware that [the killer] was driving a fake police car?”
Carroll said it was while he was at the Great Village Command Post Sunday morning, after Lisa Banfield had been brought in. “Cst. Melanson told me ‘Banfield just told us he’s driving a fully marked police vehicle.’ That was the first confirmation I heard. I told him to tell Staff-Sergeant Halliday.”
Shortly after Banfield confirmed the killer was driving a marked police vehicle, her sister provided a photo of the car.
Carroll said he was asked by Sgt. Bruce Briers “about circulating a photo of [the killer’s] police vehicle to the public” but Carroll “had to check with others up the chain of command.”
Carroll was in his car and not at the Great Village command post when that request came in, and so he had some difficulty getting in touch with the appropriate officer for an answer. When the answer did come, Carroll was told “No, we’re not going to, not right now. Maybe later.”
According to Fowler, the interviewer, Carroll received that email at 9am.
According to a court affidavit from Superintendent Darren Campbell, the photo of the car “was provided to RCMP Critical Incident Command at about 722am.” The RCMP issued a tweet at 8:54am naming the killer and giving his description, but the tweet provided no information about a fake police car. It wasn’t until 10:17am that another tweet was issued containing a photo of the car and the warning that the killer “may be driving what appears to be an RCMP vehicle and may be wearing an RCMP uniform.”
In the nearly three hours between the RCMP being in possession of the photo of the fake car and the photo being tweeted out to the public, four* people were killed by the man driving that fake police car.
With hindsight, it’s possible that circulating the photo of that police car even an hour earlier might have kept Tom Bagley, Lillian Campbell and nurses Kristen Beaton and Heather O’Brien from venturing out and becoming random victims of the gunman.
Personnel and equipment
Lawyers for the MCC did not ask Carroll why he didn’t look to Truro Town Police for backup when the 911 calls started to flood in after 1030pm.
Carroll had already indicated there was “friction” at the management level between the Bible Hill detachment and Town Police. Carroll said while he occasionally dropped by to say hello to his managerial counterparts in Truro, neither the chief nor deputy chief had ever set foot in the Mounties’ new office building despite having been invited to attend the official opening.
Carroll was asked if night vision goggles could have helped officers searching in the pitch dark for an armed and dangerous shooter. Or if having GPS installed on their portable radios would have assisted.
More gear is always helpful, was Carroll’s diplomatic response. He noted that all Colchester County officers have been provided with body armour and carbines since the Moncton tragedy and the officers who went to multiple crime scenes in Portapique had been properly trained for rapid deployment.
More important than gear, he suggested, might be money to hire more people. Carroll said 27 front-line officers was the complement available to police all of Colchester County on April 18, 2020, estimated Carroll.
The Municipality of Colchester pays $5.3 million a year for 33 officers but Carroll said illness and leaves left the detachment “short” with only 27 front line officers available for duty. Carroll said that given a choice, he’d pass on the bells and whistles and hire two more police at an annual cost of approximately $300,000.
* as originally published, this article omitted Bagley’s death
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N.S. shooting inquiry: New details about second day of killing rampage revealed
By Michael MacDonald
The Canadian Press
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Published March 30, 2022 12:07 p.m. ADT
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“I’m going to blow his fucking head off”: A Glenholme couple’s close call with a mass murderer
Carole and Adam Fisher. Photo: ditcchdoctor.ca
“It was a shock. It still is — to realize we are the only frigging survivors — and why?”
That’s what Adam Fisher told RCMP Cst. Mike Townsend after Adam’s encounter with a mass murderer.
Adam and Carole Fisher live on Highway 4 near Glenholme. On Saturday night, April 18, 2020, Carole’s mother called to warn that there were reports of shootings and RCMP presence in Portapique, just 15 minutes from the Fishers’ house. They locked their doors.
In the morning, Carole saw a Facebook post that linked the Portapique shootings of Greg and Jamie Blair with a close-up photograph of the suspect.
“Adam, it’s fucking Gabe,” said Carole. “Gabe’s the shooter.”
“Holy fuck, he’s got a cop car,” Adam replied.
Adam had met Gabe several years earlier when he hired Adam, who owns an excavation business, to do some work on his property. The Fishers and Gabe found they shared a passion for motorcycles and outdoor living, and both men shared an interest in building projects. Adam said he didn’t especially consider Gabe a friend — more an “acquaintance” — but they occasionally visited each other’s home.
About a year earlier, Adam visited the warehouse on Orchard Beach Drive, where Gabe showed him two unmarked police cruisers and boasted about his plans to transform one into a replica vehicle. “Why would you want to do that?” Adam recalled asking him. Gabe shrugged. “Because I can,” he said.
Adam called 911. He related that Gabe owned a fully decalled RCMP vehicle. The call-taker thanked him and said somebody would get back to him.
So Adam and Carole weren’t surprised when 12 minutes later a white police cruiser turned up their long driveway. A police officer must’ve been coming to talk to them about Gabe.
The Fishers didn’t then now it, but earlier that morning Alanna Jenkins, Sean McLeod, and Tom Bagley were murdered on Hunter Road, and just 10 minutes before, Lillian Campbell was shot dead on the side of the road in Wentworth.
As they saw the car come up the driveway, both Adam and Carole ran upstairs to get dressed. Each watched curiously from an upstairs window as they saw a man in a black ballcap and reflective vest reach for something on the passenger side — apparently a gun — get out of the car and walk to the back of their house. Both Carole and Adam realized this was not an RCMP officer.
It was Gabe.
He rang the doorbell.
“He’s here to kill us,” Adam thought. “It’s like fucking watching a Terminator movie. When he got out of the car, he was stone cold and collected. He was in no hurry,” he told Cst. Townsend.
For the second time that Sunday, Adam Fisher dialled 911 on his cellphone. It was 9:48am.
“Gabriel Wortman is at my house,” Adam told the call-taker. “He’s driving a police car. I seen him pull over in the yard. He got out dressed like a police officer.”
“Are you sure that it was him?” asked the call-taker.
“I’m positive.”
Adam went into his bedroom, opened the gun cabinet and began loading his 12-gauge shotgun while still on the line with 911. “If he comes up to my house, I’m going to blow his fucking head off,” he told the call-taker.
Meanwhile, Carole locked herself in the bathroom and also called 911. (The 911 centre alerted RCMP officers that the suspect was at the Fishers location at 9:50am). Carole described becoming progressively more terrified and repeating their civic address to the dispatcher begging for someone to come.
“I thought he had got into our house and I thought he was in here,” she later told an RCMP interviewer. “I thought he had killed my dog because Gus wasn’t making a noise anymore. I just kept pleading (to 911) to help us, he’s taking our life.”
Carole said she is normally a strong and positive person but became convinced she was going to die. At one point she got in the bathtub and wrapped herself in the shower curtain. She texted friends telling them the killer was there and urging them to lock their doors. She called her brother and her mother to say she loved them.
Shortly before 10am, the Emergency Response Team that had been in the Portapique area showed up at the Fishers with an Armoured Vehicle and canine unit. The couple could hear a helicopter (supplied by Natural Resources) overhead. An officer was using a loud hailer urging the shooter “to come out with hands up.”
“Through all the noise, I thought I was going to experience severe gunfire,” Carole recalled during the RCMP interview. “I felt that he was going to open up on the police and there was going to be lives lost on our property.”
Manhunt continued
As suddenly as the RCMP officers arrived, they left.
At approximately 10:05, a report of another shooting was broadcast over police radios, this one on the Plains Road, which intersects with Highway 4 about two kilometres north of the Fishers’ home.
The Fishers had no idea there was another shooting. Adam thought it likely the killer could be hiding in his workshop at the back of the property because he had shown it to Gabe many years ago. Adam stayed on the line with 911 until 10:33, unsure if Gabe was still there.
The video from Fishers’ home surveillance system later revealed the killer was at their home for no more than three or four minutes, departing at 9:51 — just minutes ahead of when the SWAT team arrived.
“Whether first responding members at the Fisher residence arrived at 9:52am or minutes later, it is clear the perpetrator had left the Fisher property and proceeded north on Highway #4 to Plains Road, unobserved, shortly before police arrived,” reads the report on the incident prepared by the Mass Casualty Commission.
In fact, that marked the second time within half an hour the killer had come very close to bring captured.
At 9:47am, a Bible Hill RCMP officer heading north on Highway 4 to respond to the shooting of Lillian Campbell radioed dispatch to say he had passed an RCMP car heading south toward Glenholme. At the time, Cpl. Rodney Peterson said he was unaware the killer was driving a fully marked RCMP vehicle. Peterson knew about the shootings but said he headed to Wentworth before he was able to access the RCMP tweet and photo of the replica car available on the work station in his vehicle.
“The guy was driving slowly — smiling as he went by,” said Peterson. “White Caucasian male, brown hair, he’s got a reflective vest on.”
Peterson was informed he had just seen the suspect. He continued north for about a kilometre on the two-lane highway before making a U-turn to pursue. Peterson lost him. By that time, the driver of the fake RCMP car had turned right and headed up the long treed driveway to Adam Fisher’s house.
During the interview with the RCMP officer after their ordeal, Fisher questioned why the killer came to their home that fateful Sunday morning.
“It doesn’t make sense he would come here to kill me and my wife and leave without making a mark,” said Adam.
“I remember him flattering me with comments and telling Adam I was such a great wife,” Carole recalled. “Like ‘Geez man, your wife drives a ‘Vette and a Harley’ so how cool are you? And he wanted a similar type of relationship with Lisa.”
It’s possible the killer turned up their driveway as a precaution against being followed. It doesn’t explain why he didn’t force his way in and shoot them as he had others. The Fishers know they are very lucky to be alive
About Jennifer Henderson
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2022 13:55:24 -0300
Subject: Fwd: RE Lawyers, cops, polticians and journalists etc playig
dumb about my calls and emails about Federal and provincial
governments plan to hold public inquiry into Nova Scotia mass
shootings
To: info@ditchdoctor.ca
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
https://www.cbc.ca/news/
N.S. man stood guard with a shotgun after the mass shooter rang his doorbell
Documents show police missed the gunman by five minutes
Haley Ryan · CBC News · Posted: Mar 30, 2022 9:33 PM AT
Contact Adam and Carole Fisher
Ditch Doctor® Atlantic Ltd
2896 Hwy#4
Glenholme
Nova Scotia B0M 1G0
info@ditchdoctor.ca
Tel: 902-662-2234
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Higgs, Premier Blaine (PO/CPM)"<Blaine.Higgs@gnb.ca>
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2022 23:18:49 +0000
Subject: RE: RE Lawyers, cops, polticians and journalists etc playig
dumb about my calls and emails about Federal and provincial
governments plan to hold public inquiry into Nova Scotia mass
shootings
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write.
Due to the volume of incoming messages, this is an automated response
to let you know that your email has been received and will be reviewed
at the earliest opportunity.
If your inquiry more appropriately falls within the mandate of a
Ministry or other area of government, staff will refer your email for
review and consideration.
Merci d'avoir pris le temps de nous écrire.
En raison du volume des messages reçus, cette réponse automatique vous
informe que votre courriel a été reçu et sera examiné dans les
meilleurs délais.
Si votre demande relève plutôt du mandat d'un ministère ou d'un autre
secteur du gouvernement, le personnel vous renverra votre courriel
pour examen et considération.
If this is a Media Request, please contact the Premier’s office at
(506) 453-2144 or by email
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S’il s’agit d’une demande des médias, veuillez communiquer avec le
Cabinet du premier ministre au 506-453-2144.
Office of the Premier/Cabinet du premier ministre
P.O Box/C. P. 6000 Fredericton New-Brunswick/Nouveau-
Tel./Tel. : (506) 453-2144
Email/Courriel:
premier@gnb.ca/premier.
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2022 19:16:50 -0400
Subject: RE Lawyers, cops, polticians and journalists etc playig dumb
about my calls and emails about Federal and provincial governments
plan to hold public inquiry into Nova Scotia mass shootings
To: Roger.Burrill@
josh@chesterlaw.ca, RPineo@pattersonlaw.ca,
smcculloch@pattersonlaw.ca, "Michelle.Boutin"
<Michelle.Boutin@rcmp-grc.gc.
<blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, "hugh.flemming"<hugh.flemming@gnb.ca>,
"Roger.Brown"<Roger.Brown@fredericton.ca>, "Mark.Blakely"
<Mark.Blakely@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "Marco.Mendicino"
<Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>, "martin.gaudet"
<martin.gaudet@fredericton.ca>
<oldmaison@yahoo.com>, Emily.Hill@
Nick.Carleton@uregina.ca, tara@mdwlaw.ca, mscott@pattersonlaw.ca,
comlaw <comlaw@uottawa.ca>, eratushn@uottawa.ca
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, "steve.murphy"
<steve.murphy@ctv.ca>, sheilagunnreid <sheilagunnreid@gmail.com>,
Newsroom <Newsroom@globeandmail.com>, PREMIER <PREMIER@gov.ns.ca>,
haley.ryan@cbc.ca
Deja Vu Anyone???
http://davidraymondamos3.
Wednesday, 29 July 2020
Federal and provincial governments to hold public inquiry into Nova
Scotia mass shootings
>
> ---------- Original message ----------
> From: "Pineo, Robert"<RPineo@pattersonlaw.ca>
> Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2020 15:25:26 +0000
> Subject: Re: RE Families of Shooting Victims Disappointed by
> “Independent Review” I just called Correct?
> To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
> < smcculloch@pattersonlaw.ca>
> Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
>
> Why are you quoting my statement back to me?
>
> Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>
>
> ______________________________
> From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
> Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2020 9:53 AM
> To: smcculloch@pattersonlaw.ca; rpineo@pattersonlaw.ca
> Cc: motomaniac333
> Subject: RE Families of Shooting Victims Disappointed by “Independent
> Review” I just called Correct?
>
> http://www.pattersonlaw.ca/
>
>
>
> ---------- Original message ----------
> From: "McCulloch, Sandra"<smcculloch@pattersonlaw.ca>
> Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2020 12:53:30 +0000
> Subject: Automatic reply: RE Families of Shooting Victims Disappointed
> by “Independent Review” I just called Correct?
> To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
>
>
> Thank you for your email. I will be away from my office conducting
> discovery examinations on July 27th through 29th. I will respond to
> your e-mail as soon as possible. Please contact 902.897.2000 if your
> matter requires more urgent
> attention.https://
>
>
> ---------- Original message ----------
> From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
> Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2020 09:53:20 -0300
> Subject: RE Families of Shooting Victims Disappointed by “Independent
> Review” I just called Correct?
> To: smcculloch@pattersonlaw.ca, rpineo@pattersonlaw.ca
> Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
>
> http://www.pattersonlaw.ca/
>
>
> Families of Shooting Victims Disappointed by “Independent Review”
>
> The “Independent Review” announced by Ministers Furey and Blair is
> wholly insufficient to meet the objectives of providing full and
> transparent answers to the families and the public, identifying
> deficiencies in responses, and providing meaningful lessons to be
> learned to avoid similar future tragedies.
>
> The choices of commissioners, and in particular Former Chief Justice
> Michael MacDonald, were thoughtful and appropriate for an inquiry.
> Former Chief Justice MacDonald is of the highest rank in judicial
> capabilities and is of unassailable integrity. That said, any
> decision- maker can only render decisions based on the information and
> evidence presented to them.
>
> The announced “independent review” model, to be conducted in a
> so-called “non- traumatic” and “restorative” way, will prejudice the
> panel by restricting the evidence and information being presented.
>
> In a public inquiry setting, such as was employed in the Marshall and
> Westray public inquiries, interested parties had the opportunity to
> question the witnesses. It is a very well- held maxim in our common
> law legal tradition, that cross-examination is the most effective
> truth-finding mechanism available. Without proper and thorough
> questioning, the panel will be left with incomplete and untested
> evidence upon which to base its decision. This is completely contrary
> to our Canadian notions of fair and transparent justice.
>
> Most disappointingly, Ministers Furey and Blair have hidden behind
> their contrived notion of a “trauma-free” process to exclude the full
> participation of the families under the guise of protecting them from
> further trauma. This is not how the families wish to be treated.
> Minister Furey has spoken with the families, so he must know that they
> want to participate, not to be “protected” by an incomplete process.
>
> The families want a full and transparent public inquiry. Why will
> Minister Furey not give them this? Why will he not give the citizens
> of Nova Scotia this? “We are all in this together” has been the slogan
> throughout 2020 - the families simply want us all, the public, to be
> in this together now to figure out a better tomorrow for families and
> the Province.
>
> For further inquiries, please contact:
>
> Robert H. Pineo
> 902-405-8177
> rpineo@pattersonlaw.ca
>
>
> Sandra L. McCulloch
> 902-896-6114
> smcculloch@pattersonlaw.ca
>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2022 15:11:37 -0400
Subject: Fwd: RE My calls and emails about Federal and provincial
governments plan to hold public inquiry into Nova Scotia mass
shootings
To: Dwayne.King@
Ronda.Bessner@
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2021 14:32:30 -0300
Subject: RE My calls and emails about Federal and provincial
governments plan to hold public inquiry into Nova Scotia mass
shootings
To: "barbara.massey"<barbara.massey@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
<barb.whitenect@gnb.ca>, "Brenda.Lucki"<Brenda.Lucki@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>,
"hugh.flemming"<hugh.flemming@gnb.ca>, "Bill.Blair"
<Bill.Blair@parl.gc.ca>, jpink@pinklarkin.com, andrew
<andrew@frankmagazine.ca>, andrewjdouglas <andrewjdouglas@gmail.com>,
jesse <jesse@viafoura.com>, jesse <jesse@jessebrown.ca>,
"steve.murphy"<steve.murphy@ctv.ca>,
Joel.Kulmatycki@
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, prmibullrun@gmail.com,
tim <tim@halifaxexaminer.ca>, zane@halifaxexaminer.ca,
media@masscasualtycommission.
https://www.saltwire.com/cape-
N.S. Mass Casualty Commission to announce participants in Portapique probe
Chris Lambie · Posted: April 30, 2021, 4:43 p.m.
Investigators want to hear from anyone who can shed light on the
events of April 18-19, 2020, says the release. “If you or someone you
know wants to get in touch with the investigations team, please
contact Joel.Kulmatycki at 902-394-3501 or
Joel.Kulmatycki@
https://www.saltwire.com/cape-
'I have no idea who to trust anymore': card raises independence
questions about Nova Scotia's Mass Casualty Commission
Chris Lambie · Posted: May 5, 2021, 6:46 p.m.
https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/
'We have got to have someplace to put our trust': High expectations
for the Mass Casualty Commission
Heidi Petracek 2016
Heidi Petracek
CTV News Atlantic Reporter
Published Friday, June 4, 2021 7:28PM ADT
https://www.canadaland.com/
CANADALAND
#372 The RCMP’s Portapique Narrative Is Falling Apart
Frank Magazine publisher Andrew Douglas and reporter Paul Palango
discuss their bombshell story, and what the RCMP may still be hiding
about Gabriel Wortman.
http://davidraymondamos3.
Wednesday, 29 July 2020
Federal and provincial governments to hold public inquiry into Nova
Scotia mass shootings
https://twitter.com/
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos
Methinks lots of folks may enjoy what Peter Mac Issac and his cohorts
said while the RCMP and a lot of LIEbranos were stuttering and
doubletalking bigtime N'esy Pas?
https://davidraymondamos3.
#nbpoli #cdnpoli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Citizens Rise Against Corruption in Trudeau Government
58,732 views
Streamed live on Jul 27, 2020
Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson
Citizens Rise Against Corruption in Trudeau Government - Peter Mac Issac
----------Origiinal message ----------
From: Peter Mac Isaac <prmibullrun@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2020 21:42:20 -0300
Subject: Re: RE The "Strike back: Demand an inquiry Event." Methinks
it interesting that Martha Paynter is supported by the Pierre Elliott
Trudeau Foundation N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
A lot of info to chew on - every now and then we win one - Today we
won a partial victory when the provincial liberals threw the federal
liberals under the bus forcing their hand . Now the spin will be to
get a judge they can control.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Police Corruption? Nova Scotia Shooter - Behind The Scenes
86,369 views
Streamed live on Jul 28, 2020
Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson
Nova Scotia Shooter Behind The Scenes with Paul Palango a former
senior editor at The Globe and Mail and author of three books on the
RCMP, the most recent being Dispersing the Fog, Inside the Secret
World of Ottawa and the RCMP. His work on the Nova Scotia massacre has
been published in MacLeans and the Halifax Examiner.
---------- Original message ----------
From: Timothy Bousquet <tim@halifaxexaminer.ca>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2020 05:41:36 -0300
Subject: Re: fea3
To: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
Hello, I’m taking a much-needed vacation and will not be responding to
email until August 4. If this is urgent Halifax Examiner business,
please email zane@halifaxexaminer.ca.
Thanks,
Tim Bousquet
Editor
Halifax Examiner
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsroom <newsroom@globeandmail.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2021 15:43:14 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Re My calls today about Federal Court File #
T-1557-15 Need I say that CBC lawyers such as Sylvie Gadoury and
Judith Harvie will need lawyers to argue me in Federal Court?
To: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
Thank you for contacting The Globe and Mail.
If your matter pertains to newspaper delivery or you require technical
support, please contact our Customer Service department at
1-800-387-5400 or send an email to customerservice@globeandmail.
If you are reporting a factual error please forward your email to
publiceditor@globeandmail.com<
Letters to the Editor can be sent to letters@globeandmail.com
This is the correct email address for requests for news coverage and
press releases.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ministerial Correspondence Unit - Justice Canada <mcu@justice.gc.ca>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2021 15:42:21 +0000
Subject: Automatic Reply
To: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
Thank you for writing to the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of
Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
Due to the volume of correspondence addressed to the Minister, please
note that there may be a delay in processing your email. Rest assured
that your message will be carefully reviewed.
We do not respond to correspondence that contains offensive language.
-------------------
Merci d'avoir écrit à l'honorable David Lametti, ministre de la
Justice et procureur général du Canada.
En raison du volume de correspondance adressée au ministre, veuillez
prendre note qu'il pourrait y avoir un retard dans le traitement de
votre courriel. Nous tenons à vous assurer que votre message sera lu
avec soin.
Nous ne répondons pas à la correspondance contenant un langage offensant.
http://davidraymondamos3.