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Canadian police said Sunday that Gabriel Wortman, a 51-year-old dentist, had been detained, but later announced that the suspect had been killed in a clash at a service station near the capital Halifax.
Wortman owned a dental clinic in Darthmouth. In 2014, he appeared in a local newspaper after donating dentures to cancer survivors.
Neighbors of Wortman, owners of three properties in Portapique, a small community where the attack appears to have started on Saturday night, were surprised by the news.
“I am very, very surprised to know that someone I have known for a long time, a good, kind and very kind neighbor, would think of producing a tragedy,” Lillian MacCormack told CTV News.
“We never know what others are going through in life that will make them make certain decisions,” said Scott Balser, a former Wortman colleague, on Facebook. “In no case am I defending your actions this weekend.”
David George Crockett told the Toronto Sun that Wortman once repaired his teeth and did not expect such a thing from him.
“I’m surprised. I never thought he would do that. From what I knew about him, he was very calm, gentle, and very easy to talk to. He was very kind. He was joking around a bit. He seemed normal, not like everyone else who would do such things.” .
Police have not yet determined the motive for the attack, but have suggested that the crimes were premeditated and that Wortman acted alone.
“I think it was an initial motivation at first, then I think it killed randomly,” said Commissioner Brenda Lucki.
“We are not sure and we will work to find the motivation …”, he added.
He also said that the police did not believe the incident was terrorist in nature.
An odd detail is that Wortman was disguised as a police officer, and the car he was in had been made to look like a police car. On Sunday morning, Nova Scotia police posted a photo of the car Wortman was using on Twitter.
#Colchester: Gabriel Wortman may be driving what appears to be an RCMP vehicle and may be wearing an RCMP uniform. There is 1 difference between your car and our RCMP vehicles: car #. The suspect’s car is 28B11, behind the passenger’s rear window. If you see 28B11, call 911 right away. pic.twitter.com/yyeOeBt8Ui
– RCMP, Nova Scotia (@RCMPNS) April 19, 2020
A female police officer, Heidi Stevenson, is among the victims.
Statement by Nova Scotia RCMP Commander, Assistant Commissioner Lee Bergerman https://t.co/mV9IcRqe2B pic.twitter.com/yRaL8F8EdS
– RCMP, Nova Scotia (@RCMPNS) April 19, 2020
According to the police, the attack began shortly after midnight, from Saturday to Sunday, in Portapique, and culminated in a persecution that lasted more than 12 hours.
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