Twenty-two people were killed as the gunman evaded capture for 13 hours
Members of a joint provincial and federal inquiry into Canada’s deadliest mass shooting to date have provided their assessment of the tragedy – which left 22 people dead.
On 18-19 April 2020, a gunman driving a fake police car spent more than 13 hours evading capture and killed 22 people.
The Mass Casualty Commission is the taskforce assigned to investigate the Nova Scotia incident.
Now, the Commission’s damming report has found a cascade of failures within Canada’s federal police actually worsened the mass shooting.
The report says the nation’s police force has shown little interest in reforming in the years since.
The commission details fixes to systemic failures within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that are needed to restore trust in policing and ultimately prevent another national tragedy.
It found the attack profoundly damaged the collective identity of those affected by the killing, with many residents no longer feeling safe in their rural homes.
The report has also provided the most detailed account of what happened over those two fateful days.
The 51-year-old shooter assaulted his partner and then, armed with illegal firearms, left his home in a replica police vehicle, driving around a beachside community.
In less than an hour, he killed 13 neighbours and set fire to five homes and structures.
He managed to escape capture and, the next morning, killed nine more people.
The commission’s hearings began in early 2021 and ran for nearly a year – and stemmed from the frustration and grief of families who demanded answers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says lawmakers will look at the findings and make appropriate changes to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
