RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather fields questions at a news conference at RCMP headquarters in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Monday, April 20, 2020. Investigators say a killer’s use of a mock police cruiser and an RCMP uniform almost identical to the real thing helped him escape detection as he travelled between 16 crime scenes in a rampage that has left at least 19 dead in Nova Scotia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Riley Smith

RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather fields questions at a news conference at RCMP headquarters in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Monday, April 20, 2020. Investigators say a killer’s use of a mock police cruiser and an RCMP uniform almost identical to the real thing helped him escape detection as he travelled between 16 crime scenes in a rampage that has left at least 19 dead in Nova Scotia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Riley Smith

Death toll in Nova Scotia shootings rises to 23

The gunman died in a confrontation with police Sunday

The number of people who died in a rampage by a Halifax man impersonating an RCMP officer has risen to 23, including a 17-year-old, with bodies found in five Nova Scotia communities.

A release Tuesday (April 21) by the RCMP confirms the murders began in Portapique, on Cobequid Bay, and that when police arrived they discovered several casualties inside and outside of a home.

Police say they are working at 16 specific locations in Portapique, Wentworth, Debert, Shubenacadie, Milford and Enfield to gather evidence and learn more about what occurred.

They have previously stated that there were five building fires at various locations and bodies have been recovered from those crime scenes.

Some of the victims were known and targeted by a 51-year-old denturist while others were not known to him, police said.

The incident began at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday when a firearms call came in, and ended at around noon on Sunday when police shot and killed the shooter at a gas station in Enfield, N.S.

READ MORE: RCMP says it will look at how Nova Scotia public was warned of active shooter threat

READ MORE: A look at some of the lives lost in Nova Scotia mass shooting

More coming.

The Canadian Press


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