Death toll hits 18 in Canada's worst mass killing - CTV News | Canada News Media
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Death toll hits 18 in Canada's worst mass killing – CTV News

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TORONTO —
RCMP say at least 18 people, including one of their veteran officers, are the victims of a mass killing in Nova Scotia, making it the worst in Canadian history.

But police warn the death toll could rise as investigators unravel the extent of the suspect’s violent path across the province Saturday night and into Sunday.

The suspect, who at one point in his rampage wore a police uniform and drove a car made to look like an RCMP cruiser, is also dead following the incident,  bringing the death count to 19.

It is known that he shot some of his victims. 

In a news conference in Dartmouth, N.S. on Sunday, investigators related the enormity of the incident.

“Today is a devastating day for Nova Scotia and it will remain etched in the minds of many for years to come,” said commanding RCMP officer Lee Bergerman.

“What has unfolded overnight and into this morning is incomprehensible and many families are experiencing the loss of a loved one.”

Police confirmed that Const. Heidi Stevenson, a 23-year veteran of the Nova Scotia RCMP, died Sunday morning while responding to the active shooter incident.

“Heidi answered the call of duty and lost her life while protecting those she served,” said Bergerman. “Two children have lost their mother and a husband has lost his wife. Parents have lost their daughter and countless others lost an incredible friend and colleague.”

A male RCMP officer was also taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. His identity has not been released.

“He and his family will be supported and we will be alongside him as he begins his road to recovery,” said Bergerman.

Premier Stephen McNeil offered condolences to families of the victims and called the incident “one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history.”

The death toll surpasses that of the 14 victims killed in the 1989 Polytechnique massacre in Montreal.

But police are warning their investigation could lead to finding more victims because the suspect travelled across the province in a prolonged attack that appear to be “at least in part, very random in nature,” said RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather during a news conference Sunday evening.

Leather said it was hard to specify the exact number of victims, “because as we’re standing here, the investigation continues into areas that we have not yet explored across the province.”

SEVERAL PEOPLE FOUND DEAD AT PORTAPIQUE HOME

Leather said police first responded to a residence in Portapique, N.S. late Saturday evening after receiving several 911 calls about an active shooter.

When officers arrived, Leather said they found “several casualties” inside and outside of the home.

“This was a very quickly evolving situation and a chaotic scene,” said Leather, the criminal operations officer for Nova Scotia RCMP.

Officers secured the area in Portapique, which is approximately 130 km north of Halifax and 40 km west of Truro, and started searching for the suspect, but they were unable to locate him. Shaken residents of the rural area, already in lockdown because of the pandemic, were told to lock their doors and stay inside.

Leather said the search for the suspect led to several sites in the area, including structures that were on fire.

“The search continued overnight and into the morning,” said Leather. “This morning we actively sought out the suspect through multiple communities throughout Nova Scotia.”

Police provided updates on Twitter overnight and into Sunday morning as they tracked the suspect across the province. Police confirmed that they were responding to an “active shooter situation,” and asked residents to remain in their homes with their doors locked.

They also revealed that the suspect may have been dressed as an RCMP officer in a lookalike RCMP vehicle.

Investigators first released the suspect’s identity before 9 a.m. Sunday. They said 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman was considered armed and dangerous and warned that he should not be approached.

SUSPECT TRAVELLED IN VEHICLE RESEMBLING RCMP CRUISER

Police said that, at one point, the suspect was driving what appeared to be an RCMP vehicle and wearing an RCMP uniform — though he was not an RCMP officer.

Leather said the fact that Wortman had an RCMP uniform and a vehicle resembling a police cruiser indicates that the incident may have been planned.

“That’s an important element of the investigation,” said Leather. “The fact that this individual had a police car and a uniform at his disposal certainly speaks to it not being a random act.”

They later said he was driving a silver Chevrolet Tracker.

Police continued to track Wortman across the province, warning the public about sightings in Glenholme, Debert, Brookfield and Milford.

VICTIMS WERE ‘SCATTERED ACROSS THE PROVINCE’

Leather said the investigation involves “multiple crime scenes” and that there are victims “scattered across the province.”

“There are several locations across the province where persons have been killed.”

He said investigators believe the sole suspect is believed to be responsible for the killings.

“He alone moved across the northern part of the province and committed, it would appear, several homicides,” said Leather.

He didn’t specify where the crime scenes are located, saying the investigation is in the early stages. He also said it’s possible police could learn about additional crime scenes and victims in the coming days.

“Some of these crime scenes we’ve not even begun to process … it is an ongoing investigation that could reveal additional details in the coming days,” said Leather.

“The investigation continues into areas that we’ve not yet explored across the province.”

In Shubenacadie, N.S., there were several burned-out vehicles, which appeared to be police cruisers, along the highway. Witnesses also reported hearing between seven and 10 gunshots.

“I hear the shots and I look out and … there’s a guy running back-and-forth up beside the, what looks to be a police vehicle,” recalled one witness at the scene. “Then after a short bit I saw fire.”

Leather confirmed that Wortman did exchange gunfire with police at one point during the chase, but wouldn’t say where.

SUSPECT SHOT AND KILLED IN ENFIELD

Officers eventually tracked Wortman to the Irving gas station and Big Stop restaurant in Enfield, N.S., about 90 kilometres away from Portapique, where he was shot and killed late Sunday morning.

Leather wouldn’t confirm that Wortman was shot by police, but he did say “officers were involved in terminating the threat.”

He also confirmed that Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team — which investigates serious incidents involving police — is investigating the man’s death.

Witnesses heard gunshots, saw body on the ground

A truck driver from Ontario told CTV News he had stopped at the Irving for a shower and breakfast when he heard an employee shouting.

“She goes, ‘Oh my God, lock the doors, he’s here! And I peek out of the window and I saw some RCMP vehicles and there was four or five uniforms with guns,” said Tom Nurani.

Witnesses told CTV News they saw RCMP vehicles on scene, heard multiple gunshots, and saw a body on the ground.

“All I could hear was gunshots and my wife, I thought I was going to call 911, because she was going into panic, it scared her so bad,” said Glen Hines, who was driving by the Irving when he saw the Emergency Response Team arrive.

“There was multiple, like probably between five or 10 (gunshots). It was steady,” recalled Deon Wells, who lives nearby.

VICTIM IDENTIFIED

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union issued a statement Sunday that said a teacher at Debert Elementary, Lisa McCully, was among the dead.

She was known by colleagues and students “not only as a passionate teacher but as a shining love in their lives.”

The statement, signed by president Paul Wozney, also said that Dean Stevenson, husband to the RCMP officer who was killed, teaches at Cole Harbour District High School.

“We know that there are many others who died last night whose families are struggling to process what has happened,” Wozney wrote. “Their lives are no less precious. They are our neighbours and friends. Their children are our students. We hurt with you all too.”

THE SUSPECT

A Gabriel Wortman is listed as a denturist in Dartmouth, according to the Denturist Society of Nova Scotia website. A suspect photo issued by the RCMP matches video footage of a man being interviewed about dentures by CTV Atlantic in 2014.

Some Portapique residents who spoke with the The Canadian Press said they knew him in passing as a part-time resident who divided time between the Halifax area and his properties in the community. Portapique’s population numbers about 100 in the summer months, but swells to about 250 during summer cottage season.

David George Crockett, who lives a three-minute drive from Portapique Beach Road, the area where the first 911 calls originated, said Wortman once fixed his teeth at his home in Portapique.

“I’m very surprised,” Crockett said in a brief interview outside his rural home. “I never thought he would do something like that.”

“From what I knew of him, he was quiet, gentle and very easy to talk to …. He was very nice. He kidded around a little bit. He seemed normal, not like someone who would do something like this.”

A little farther down the rural road, another neighbour said he and Wortman were friends until the two had a falling out over a piece of nearby property.

The neighbour, who declined to give his name, said Wortman had burned an old shed that contained some property that belonged to the neighbour. The man said he was too overcome with emotion to say more about his relationship with Wortman or what might have motivated his rampage.

Christine Mills, another resident, said it had been a frightening night for the community, which was suddenly filled with armed officers patrolling the streets. In the morning, helicopters flew overhead searching for the suspect.

She said she was fearful the shooter might have gone through the woods and attempted to enter her home.

“It’s nerve-wracking because you don’t know if somebody has lost their mind and is going to beat in your front door,” she said.

Tom Taggart, a councillor who represents the Portapique area in the Municipality of Colchester, said the quiet community is in shock.

“This is just an absolutely wonderful, peaceful quiet community, and the idea that this could happen in our community is unbelievable,” Taggart said by phone from his home in Bass River, about three kilometres away from Portapique.

Taggart said he didn’t know Wortman well, but spoke to him a few times when he telephoned about municipal issues, and described knowing Wortman’s “lovely big home” on Portapique Beach Road.

With files from Holly McKenzie-Sutter, Michael Tutton and Jim Bronskill.

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Former receiver Green part of Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s 2024 class

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September 13, 2024

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For over a decade, S.J. Green was the enemy of Hamilton Tiger-Cats fans.

He should receive a warmer reception Saturday when recognized as a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Then again . . .

“I’ll be honest, if I get a boo or two I won’t be surprised,” Green said with a chuckle. “It’s fun, I’m looking forward to everything that comes with this weekend.”

Joining Green in the Class of 2024 are former players Chad Owens, Weston Dressler, Vince Goldsmith and Marvin Coleman. Former CFL coach Ray Jauch and amateur football icon Ed Laverty (posthumously) were named as builders.

The seven were scheduled to be formally inducted Friday night, and then honoured Saturday at halftime of the Hamilton-Ottawa game at Tim Hortons Field. Green now fully appreciates the magnitude of the honour.

“Being here and getting to see some of the other inductees has been the ground-breaking moment for me where it’s actually starting to set in, that it’s a real thing,” Green said. “To put it into the shortest phrase I can, it’s football eternity.

“Not everyone gets to play the game at a professional level … to be a part of this brotherhood and statistically elite group is amazing and very humbling.”

The six-foot-three, 216-pound Green was a fluid receiver with Montreal (2007-16) and Toronto (2017-19). Green, 39, registered 716 catches for 10,222 yards with 60 TDs.

He suffered a serious knee injury early in 2016 but registered career highs in catches (104) and yards (1,462) the next season with Toronto. The Argos would win the Grey Cup, Green’s third (2009-10 with Montreal).

Green’s pro career ended in the XFL in 2020 as the CFL didn’t play that season due to the global pandemic. However, Green’s contract was abruptly terminated when the league suspended operations.

He retired in 2022 after signing a one-day contract with Montreal. Green, who owns and operates a landscape business in Tampa, said his transition to life after football wasn’t seamless.

“I went through a period … I don’t want to call it depression but I don’t know what else to call it, where it was just hard to watch the CFL game,” Green said. “I felt like I didn’t get to end it how I truly wanted.

“I miss the game still to this day and it was hard to get over but eventually you grow up, right? This (induction) makes all the time worth it, it feels right.”

Green also appreciates being inducted with Owens. Both began their CFL careers as practice-roster players with Montreal.

“That makes it more special,” Green said. “We both came in from the perspective of being practice-squad guys, having to prove ourselves to get on the field.

“Unfortunately, Chad had to leave Montreal to show the league who he was as a player and person while I was able to stay in Montreal and reap the same benefits. To watch him go to Toronto and become the player he was made it all come full circle. It’s very rewarding to go in with Chad.”

The five-foot-eight, 180-pound Owens, dubbed The Flyin’ Hawaiian, spent 10 seasons with Montreal (2009), Toronto (2010-15), Hamilton (2016, 2018) and Saskatchewan (2017). He was a four-time all-star, the league’s top special-teams player (2010) and its outstanding performer (2012).

Owens, 42, claimed his first Grey Cup ring with Montreal. He earned a second with Toronto in 2012.

Owens recorded 521 career catches for 6,217 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also had 4,027 punt-returns yards (11-yard average, five TDs) and 5,479 kickoff-returns yards, amassing 16,698 combined yards.

Dressler, 39, played with Saskatchewan (2008-15) and Winnipeg (2016-18), registering 715 catches for 10,026 yards and 61 TDs. The five-foot-seven, 168-pound Bismarck, N.D., native was the CFL’s top rookie in ’08 and a two-time all-star who made two Grey Cup appearances, winning in ’13 in Regina with the Riders.

Goldsmith, 65, was a dominant defensive lineman with Saskatchewan (1981-83, 1988-90), Toronto (1984) and Calgary (1985-87). He was the CFL’s top rookie in 1981 with 17 sacks then posted a career-best 20 two years later.

Goldsmith had 10 or more sacks eight times and finished with 130.5 (eighth all-time). He won a Grey Cup in ’89 with Saskatchewan.

Coleman, 52, was another dual threat. The five-foot-nine, 170-pound cornerback played with Calgary (1994-2000) and Winnipeg (2001-03) and was a three-time league all-star with 28 interceptions (six return TDs) and 538 tackles.

Coleman stands fourth all-time in punt-return yards (5,211), seventh in kickoff-returns yards (11,545) and scored seven return TDs. He played in four Grey Cups, winning twice with Calgary.

Jauch, 86, played in the ’59 Rose Bowl as a running back with Iowa and was an AFL first-round pick by Buffalo, but opted for Winnipeg.

He suffered a career-ending torn Achilles in Winnipeg’s ’61 Grey Cup win over Hamilton. Jauch became Edmonton’s running back coach in 1966 before being promoted to head coach in 1970.

He served as head coach with Edmonton (1970-76), Winnipeg (1978-82) and Saskatchewan (1994-95). He recorded 127 regular-season wins (sixth all-time) and in ’75 led Edmonton to its first Grey Cup win since 1956.

Jauch was the 1980 CFL coach of the year.

Laverty served as president of the Ottawa Nepean touch football league from 1964 to 2015. He held a similar post with the Ontario Touch Football League for over 10 years and helped launch Touch Football Canada.

Laverty was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.



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Ticats host Redblacks in important East Division contest for both teams

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September 13, 2024

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HAMILTON – For Scott Milanovich and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, what’s understood need not be discussed.

Hamilton (3-9) hosts Ottawa (8-3-1) on Saturday afternoon in an important East Division matchup for both teams. The Ticats enter weekend action six points behind third-place Toronto (6-6) while the Redblacks can clinch their first post-season berth since 2018 with a victory.

And with Toronto visiting the B.C. Lions (7-6) on Friday night, Hamilton will have a clearer indication of its situation Saturday.

But Milanovich, in his first season as Hamilton’s head coach, has steadfastly maintained his club’s most pressing duty is to win the next game on its schedule.

“There’s too many games left, we’re too far away to start thinking about these things,” he said. “I certainly don’t think I have to impress upon (Ticats players) the importance of this game.

“They’re well aware of it.”

Ottawa won the first meeting of the season 24-22 at TD Place on June 30. Before that, though, Hamilton had won 10 straight over the Redblacks.

Hamilton comes off a bye week following its 31-28 Labour Day win over Toronto on Sept. 2. That gave the Ticats the season series with the two teams slated to meet once more (Sept. 20 at BMO Field).

The reality is Hamilton will need help to overtake Toronto for third and reach the CFL postseason. Ottawa, on the other hand, controls its playoff fate entering Saturday’s contest.

The Redblacks are 2-1 within the East Division but 2-3 away from TD Place. Hamilton is 2-3 versus its conference rivals and just 2-4 at Tim Hortons Field.

Veteran Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 347 yards and two TDs in the Labour Day win. He’ll start against Ottawa even though youngster Taylor Powell came off the injured list after suffering a head injury in the Ticats’ 47-22 home win over Edmonton on Aug. 17.

Mitchell has a career record of 10-3-2 against Ottawa. And over the Ticats’ last two games, receiver Tim White has 13 catches for 314 yards (24.2-yard average) and two TDs.

With the bye week, Hamilton will play 12 days after its rivalry win over Toronto. Ideally, the Ticats would’ve been able to ride the momentum of that victory into the following week but Mitchell said during a long CFL regular season players take their downtime whenever it comes.

“Yeah, I definitely think guys wanted to build off this momentum,” he said. “We still will but we also know momentum is very subject to the moment.

“You might have momentum going into a game but they feel the same way and that all changes basically after the first kickoff.”

Rookie running back Greg Bell will make a fifth start and fourth straight ahead of veteran James Butler. The six-foot, 200-pound American has rushed for 204 yards and three TDs on 33 carries (6.2-yard average) in his last three contests while adding 11 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.

The five-foot-nine, 210-pound Butler ran for 1,116 yards last season, his first with Hamilton. And over eight contests in 2024, Butler rushed for 440 yards and a TD on 92 carries (4.8-yard average) while also recording 37 receptions for 312 yards and a touchdown.

“I know what it looks like, this is not an indictment on James Butler whatsoever,” Milanovich said. “He’s a good back.

“I just felt like we wanted Greg’s juice out there a little bit.”

Milanovich said Butler and Bell are very different players.

“James is more of a power runner, the first guy is not going to bring him down,” Milanovich said. “James is an elite pass protector and also a good receiver.

“He (Bell) is explosive … he’s kind of a slasher. When he does see the hole he hits it and he’s a threat receiving. Certainly, there are things he needs to continue to work on but he’s a threat out there, he’s somebody guys have to worry about.”

At first glance, an easy solution would seem to be having both players in the lineup. But Milanovich said it’s not that simple.

“It’s just it’s hard right now with where we’re at with the roster,” he said. “It’s hard to get another American on who’s not going to play a major role offensively or defensively.”

Bell will make his second appearance versus Ottawa, running for 52 yards on 13 carries back in June. And Bell isn’t getting preoccupied with the importance of Saturday’s contest.

“No pressure,” he said. “We’ve all been doing this our whole lives so it’s just football.

“Just run hard, follow my blockers. If they open a hole I’m going to hit it hard.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.



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Longtime AD and 2-time national champion baseball coach Tanner to switch roles at South Carolina

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September 13, 2024

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Ray Tanner is stepping down as South Carolina’s athletic director after more than 12 seasons, he said Friday.

Tanner, a two-time national champion baseball coach for the Gamecocks, took over as head of the department in 2012 following his team’s third straight trip to the College World Series. The 66-year-old announced his intentions at a meeting of the school’s board of trustees.

Tanner will remain athletic director until his successor arrives. Tanner will then transition to become athletics director emeritus and senior advisor to the president, focusing on fundraising and community engagement.

“There was going to be a time” to change, Tanner said. “When I coached baseball, I didn’t leave the baseball program because I didn’t think it was good anymore to become the athletic director, it was time. And I knew it was getting close to time in this role as well.”

A national search for a new athletic director will begin at the end of November, university president Michael Amiridis said.

Tanner’s tenure has had its highs and lows.

Women’s basketball has won three national titles under coach Dawn Staley in 2017, 2022 and, most recently, 2024. And while Tanner was still baseball coach when Staley came on board before the 2008-09 season, he helped keep her with the Gamecocks despite other outside opportunities.

Tanner has hired two full-time football coaches over his 12 years as the program has tried to make strides in the difficult Southeastern Conference.

Will Muschamp served from 2017 until his dismissal before the end of the 2020 season, going 28-30 overall and 17-22 in the SEC.

Current coach Shane Beamer was hired in December 2020 and has had two winning seasons in his first three years. The Gamecocks (2-0, 1-0 SEC) face No. 16 LSU (1-1) at home on Saturday.

Tanner said he was honored to be at South Carolina for nearly three decades and the chance to continue in a different role.

Amiridis was reluctant to let Tanner go as athletic director when the two began chatting about his successor. But Amiridis was pleased to have Tanner remain as athletic director emeritus and a presidential advisor with a focus on fundraising and community engagement.

“I am glad to see he’s continuing on in a role with the university and his willingness to do that,” said Board of Trustees chairman Thad Westbrook. “Ray, he doesn’t have a degree from South Carolina, but there’s no one who loves our university more.”

Tanner came to South Carolina in 1996 as baseball coach and went on to make six trips to the College World Series. The Gamecocks won it all in 2010 and 2011 and reached the final series in 2012 before missing a three-peat against Arizona.

A short time later, Tanner was named athletic director after Hyman left for Texas A&M.

Tanner said his successor would need to be “nimble” in navigating the new, rapidly changing world of college athletics.

Amiridis said he would look for an athletic director with experience who had a similar respect for athletics as Tanner.

Tanner said he will not be closely involved in picking the next athletic director.

“I’m gratefully for the time that I’ve been able to spend in South Carolina and the opportunity moving forward,” he said. “We have a great place, we have wonderful people and I’m excited to remain in a capacity that’s going to be new to me, but certainly will energize me in a way that I haven’t experienced in a number of years.”

___

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