Nova Scotia shooting death toll now at 23

Gabriel Wortman, 51, the gunman, began his rampage late Saturday night in Portapique. He was wearing an authentic RCMP police uniform and was able to obtain a police look-alike vehicle. He was chased by authorities which resulted in his death in a gas station on Sunday. (Pixabay photo)

The death toll of the shooting incident in Nova Scotia over the weekend rose to 23, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Tuesday, April 21.

Through a statement, the RCMP confirmed the updated number though they have yet to determine the motive of the crime. The initially reported number was at 13 which increased to 18, 22, and now 23. RCMP earlier said that the number could still rise as the casualties reported were in different locations inside and outside homes and that some establishments were set on fire.

With this, they called the ongoing investigation “detailed and complex” because of the 16 crime scenes, which include five burned buildings in the areas of Portapique, Wentworth, Debert, Shubenacadie/Milford and Enfield.

A 17-year-old was identified as the youngest victim to be killed.

Gabriel Wortman, 51, the gunman, began his rampage late Saturday night in Portapique. He was wearing an authentic RCMP police uniform and was able to obtain a police look-alike vehicle. He was chased by authorities which resulted in his death in a gas station on Sunday.

RCMP confirmed that he was not part of the police.

The incident urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to promise a ‘rapid’ ban on assault rifles on Tuesday. He said that this tragedy in the province “simply reinforces and underlines how important it is for us to continue to move forward on strengthening gun control in this country.”

“We made strong commitments to move forward with that rapidly,” he continued saying in his daily briefing, further explaining that he is just waiting for the “right time” because of the current situation of the Parliament amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

This incident is dubbed as the ‘worst mass shooting in Canada’.