At Least 18 People Killed in Canadian Shooting Rampage (UPDATE)

The suspect reportedly dressed as a police officer during the rampage.

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Image via Getty/Tim Krochak

Members of the Royal Canadian Mountain Police tactical unit respond to a shooting.

UPDATED 4/20, 1:15 p.m. ET:The total victim count in Nova Scotia has been upped to “at least 18 people,” the BBC reports

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the country on Monday, "Violence of any kind has no place in Canada. We stand with you and we grieve with you.”

Trudeau called the event "a tragedy.” Meanwhile, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil assessed the murder spree as "one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province's history."

See original story below.

Authorities in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia report that a gunman went on an overnight shooting rampage which has led to the deaths of at least 16 people. The crime spree of over 12 hours represents the deadliest shooting attack in Canada in at least 30 years. The suspected shooter was reportedly killed by police. 

A number of bodies were found in and around a single home in Portapique, which is a small rural town that resides roughly 60 miles north of Halifax, Nova Scotia's biggest city and capital. 

On Saturday night, into Sunday morning, police started telling Portapique's residents to lock their doors and stay in their basements. The town was already on lockdown due to coronavirus-related precautions. The Associated Press reports that several homes in the area were also set on fire.  

The shooter is believed to be a 51-year-old part-time Portapique resident and denturist named Gabriel Wortman. At some point, Wortman allegedly disguised himself as a police officer and made up his car to look like it belonged to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 

He eventually ditched that car for a silver Chevy SUV:

Wortman was originally reported as being arrested by that same police force at a gas station in Enfield, Nova Scotia, which is about an hour south of Portapique. The halting of the crime spree occurred around 11:40 a.m. local time. Later it was announced that Wortman was dead. 

Canadian gun-control laws had been restructured in 1989 after a mass shooter killed 14 women, in addition to himself, at a college in Montreal. An unregistered handgun or rapid-fire weapon is now illegal for anyone in the country to possess. As the AP writes, Canada "also requires training, a personal risk assessment, two references, spousal notification and criminal record checks to purchase a weapon."

This weekend's shooting represents the nation's worst since that tragedy, and the total dead could ultimately end up being higher. 

No motive has been given for this latest massacre, but police say many victims didn't know Wortman. Police also believe the shooter acted alone. 

One of those confirmed dead was Constable Heidi Stevenson, who was a 23-year police veteran. Another officer was injured. A spokeswoman says cops received a call around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday about "a person with firearms." From there the investigation is said to have "evolved into an active shooting investigation." 

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