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Nova Scotia RCMP have released a partial timeline of the mass shooting that took place in Nova Scotia over the weekend.
In a release, police say they were first alerted to the event after a firearms complaint came in at 10:30 PM Saturday evening from a residence in Portapique, a small coastal town in Colchester County.
They say when police arrived, members found several casualties both inside and outside of the home, however the suspect was not present.
Police worked to secure the area and evacuate nearby residence while searching for the suspect.
During the search, they were led to multiple sites in the immediate area which included more than five structures and vehicles that were on fire.
The suspect was then identified and the search continued through the night and into Sunday morning through multiple Colchester County communities.
Police say the search ended Sunday just before noon when the suspect was located by officers at the Enfield Big Stop off Highway 102, where he was shot by police and later died.
The take down of the suspect was been referred to the Serious Incident Response Team, along with another report of two officers discharging their firearms, although no other information has been shared about that incident.
The RCMP also shared a Q&A, which included details about the investigation, the victims and information about the shooter.
The Q&A notes there were 23 victims discovered, which included a 17-year-old, along with RCMP member Const. Heidi Stevenson.
Police also say they have information that others were injured, but did not provide any numbers.
They note some of the victims were known to the shooter, some of which were targeted, while others had no connection to him. Victims were found in Portapique, Wentworth Debert Shubenacadie/Milford and Enfield.
On the shooter’s background, the Q&A noted the shooter did not have a criminal background and was not an RCMP member, but did wear an authentic RCMP uniform during the event. They note the RCMP car he was reported to be in was “a very real look-alike RCMP vehicle.”
In the release, police wouldn’t comment on how the RCMP obtained a photo of the shooter’s makeshift RCMP car, which was shared on their official twitter page during their search.
Currently police aren’t commenting on why this happened or whether the events were premeditated, stating those facts are still part of the active investigation.
The Q&A also says police are still investigating whether the shooter is the only suspect.
