Death toll in Nova Scotia mass killing rises to 23 in five towns

A man and his son pay repects at a memorial to Lisa McCully, a teacher at Debert Elementary School in Debert, N.S. on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX — The number of people who died in a rampage by a Halifax man impersonating an RCMP officer has risen to 23, including a 17-year-old, with bodies found in five Nova Scotia communities.

A release today by the RCMP confirms the murders began in Portapique, on Cobequid Bay, and that when police arrived they discovered several casualties inside and outside of a home.

Police say they are working at 16 specific locations in Portapique, Wentworth, Debert, Shubenacadie, Milford and Enfield to gather evidence and learn more about what occurred.

They have previously stated that there were five building fires at various locations and bodies have been recovered from those crime scenes.

Some of the victims were known and targeted by the shooter, while others were not known to him.

The incident began at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday when a firearms call came in, and ended at around noon on Sunday when police shot and killed the shooter at a gas station in Enfield, N.S.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2020.

The Canadian Press

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