The attack by the man disguised as a police officer has been called the worst in history in 30 years according to a news report in Aljazeera.
The attack left a police officer dead among others. Several bodies were recovered in a small rural area of Portapique, about 100 km north of Halifax. Some bodies were found in other locations as buildings were set on fire.
Constable Heidi Stevenson, the officer who succumbed to the shootout has been identified as a mother of two and a 23-year veteran of the force. It also left another officer hurt.
The shooter identified by the police is a 51-year old as Gabriel Wortman, who assumed to stay in Portapique. The man wore a police uniform and tried to make his car look like an RCMP vehicle.
The shooter initially singled out his first victims before killing randomly. The death toll in the mass shootout can be higher than the actual count. The shooter has also exchanged gunfire with the police and around half a dozen police vehicles were present at the gas station where the suspect died.
Mass shootings in Canada are not common as the country had overhauled the gun-control laws after it faced its worst mass shooting in 1989. In that shooting gunman, Marc Lepine killed 14 women and himself at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique College.
In a move to control such killing, it is now illegal to possess an unregistered handgun or any kind of rapid-fire weapon in Canada. In fact, buying a weapon isn’t easy as it entails requirements of training, a personal risk assessment, two references, spousal notification and criminal record checks.
"As a country, in moments like these, we come together to support one another. Together we will mourn with the families of the victims, and help them get through this difficult time," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a written statement.