Episode 195 - Nova Scotia Nightmare - Inside Canada’s Deadliest Mass Shooting

On the cold spring morning of April 19, 2020, a woman staggered from the woods outside Portapique Nova Scotia. Her bare feet were blackened from running through the woods, and she was covered in scrapes and bruises.

She hammered on the door of a neighbor, who let her inside and called 911.

She told police something had finally snapped in her abusive common-law partner Gabriel Wortman. But by the time she made that phone call, he’d already murdered 13 people and his rampage was far from over.

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Research & Writing:

Matt Snell

Editing:

Aiden Wolf

Sources:

Alert Ready Emergency Alert System

CBC: Here are the victims of Nova Scotia's mass shooting

CBC: How an RCMP officer escaped and survived after being shot by the N.S. gunman

CBC: How the N.S. gunman convinced people not to report mock cruiser before mass shooting

CBC: How the N.S. gunman convinced people not to report mock cruiser before mass shooting

CBC: How the N.S. gunman got his weapons and who may have helped him in Maine

CBC: How the N.S. mass shooter controlled, exploited women around him

CBC: N.S. gunman fired at spouse before locking her in replica cruiser, documents say

CBC: N.S. mass shooter had a history of intimidation, violent altercations

CBC: N.S. mass shooter preyed on vulnerable denture clients, traded services for sex

CBC: N.S. mass shooter was treated 'like an animal' by his father, family says

CBC: Neighbour reported N.S. mass shooter's domestic violence, weapons to police

CBC: Neighbours tried to warn police about Portapique gunman's abuse, weapons

CBC: RCMP officer visited N.S. gunman at least 16 times, but says he saw no weapons

CBC: RCMP took 19 hours to find parents, daughter killed in Nova Scotia mass shooting in April

CBC: RCMP wanted 2011 tip about N.S. gunman to 'go away': Truro police chief

CBC: Seeking to explain Nova Scotia shootings: Inside the 'threat-sensitive brain'

CBC: Spouse of N.S. mass shooter shows how deadly rampage began in video re-enactment

CBC: The geography of grief: Portapique saddled with the stigma of mass killing

Chatelaine: Lisa Banfield Was Abused For Nearly 20 Years. Her Abuser Murdered 22 People. Why Is She On Trial?

CTV News Atlantic: N.S. mass killer's abuse of spouse had roots going back generations, inquiry hears

CTV News: Court documents say N.S. mass shooter's spouse was beaten, begged for life before escape

CTV News: Detailed portrait emerges of gun acquisitions, cash stockpiles of N.S. mass killer

The Guardian: Nova Scotia shooting: shock and surprise at killings by denturist

The National Post: N.S. mass shooting: Documents show killer was 'paranoid' about COVID-19 pandemic before rampage

Toronto Star: ‘The victims, the heroes, the people who serve’: Here are the faces of the Nova Scotia shooting victims

Twitter: RCMP Nova Scotia

Wikipedia: Population of Canada by province and territory

YouTube: 13 deadly hours: The Nova Scotia mass shooting - The Fifth Estate

YouTube: Suspected gunman Gabriel Wortman well-known in community

CTV News: There's angels among us:' Cancer survivor to receive new dentures

YouTube: Portapique/ NS shooting 911 call- Jamie Blair

CBC:Frantic radio logs reveal confusion, fear as Mounties responded to N.S. shootings

YouTube: Jamie Blair Son's 911 Call (2020 Nova Scotia Attacks)

YouTube: Portapique/ NS shooting 911 Call

Tape from 911 calls during N.S. mass shooting | CTV News

YouTube: Canada's Alert Ready Tones Sound - Free To Use

YouTube: Superintendent Darren Campbell of RCMP Nova Scotia H-Division speaks to Mass Casualty Committee

CBC: Spouse of N.S. mass shooter shows how deadly rampage began in video re-enactment

Foundational Documents: Highway 224 & Enfield Big Stop, Expert Witness: Dr. Matthew Bowes, Participant Submissions

Mass Casualty Commission Public Proceedings: Witnesses: Lia Scanlan and S/Sgt. Addie MacCallum

Mass Casualty Commission: Foundational Documents: Onslow Belmont Fire Brigade Hall & Shubenacadie, Witness Panel: Darrell Currie, Greg Muise and Richard Ellison

YouTube: What was revealed by the Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry

Mass Casualty Commission: Witness: Lisa Banfield

Mass Casualty Commission: Foundational Document: Perpetrator’s Violent Behaviour Towards Others, Witness: Brenda Forbes

Release date

Lydbog: 25. december 2023