500 witnesses, 17 crime scenes and four semi-automatic weapons.
These are just a few of details the Nova Scotia RCMP released in an update to their investigation into the Portapique mass shooting.
Now being referred to as Operation H-Strong, the investigation into the events of April 18th and 19th that left 22 dead continue to be investigated by multiple units of law enforcement, including crime analysts, federal policing officers, forensic identification and laboratory services, national weapons and enforcement support, and special tactical operations, among many others.
Police say they are still trying to piece together the motives and movements of the shooter, and are still investigating whether or not he had any assistance leading up to the events.
The business who supplied the shooter with the RCMP decals on his mock police cruiser has been identified, and police determined they were made without the knowledge of the business owner. Police say the owner and the individual who made the decals are cooperating with police during their investigation.
Police say three matters were referred to the Serious Incident Response Team, which includes the take down of the shooter, and the shooting at a Lower Onslow fire hall, where two RCMP officers opened fire on an unidentified person, severely damaging the side of the fire hall and vehicles stored inside. SIRT has not released any more info on these matters.
A third matter, pertaining to whether or not Cst. Heidi Stevenson fired her weapon at the shooter, was referred to SIRT. That matter has since been referred back to the RCMP.
In the update, police confirmed when the shooter left the Portapique area on the 18th, he had two semi-automatic handguns and two semi-automatic rifles in his possession. Police determined one of the weapons was obtained in Canada, despite the shooter not possessing an active firearms license. The others are believed to have come from the United States.
Police are not releasing details on the caliber of the weapons used. The release states, “determining where and how the gunman obtained the firearms is a central part of the investigation, and we use this detailed information to verify the credibility of some of the information we receive.”
The update also notes they’ve determined the shooter used an accelerant to set the five structure fires throughout Central and Northern Nova Scotia. Police say after speaking with witnesses, they learned the shooter had a large surplus of gasoline at his property in Portapique.
At this time, the special tactical operations team has wrapped up their ground search, and has released all of the 17 crime scenes.
Police say the investigation continues as they focus on the motives of the shooter, and the RCMP’s Behavioural Analysis Unit is conducting a psychological autopsy of the gunman by researching his past behavior, actions and how he related to others.
RCMP have spoke with 500 witnesses during the investigation, and are asking anyone with information on the events of April 18th or 19th, or anyone who has had a conflict with the shooter in the past to contact the tip line at 1-833-570-0121.
