CANADA - shooter in RCMP vehicle & uniform, 22 killed (plus perp), Portapique, NS, 18 April 2020 #2

[tayaway]

Our police force in Ottawa do not travel with pairs either.

another thought is that this gathering was an afternoon bbq or something like that.

An afternoon bbq as opposed to one in the evening would make sense as it'd give the situation with GW's gf time to play out: They'd have time enough to go home, she to sleep, and then the domestic violence, her escape and the beginning of his attack on the neighbors. All this before the call at 10:01.

 

[Snoopster]

I've not come back to this thread for a while, as I found it too upsetting.

I will ultimately look through the thread to understand the chain of events...to understand exactly what happened...but I'm not ready yet.

My thoughts remain with the loved ones, neighbours and acquaintences of the victims.

To all Canadians, I wish you a wonderful Victoria Day long weekend. It's been a rough start to 2020. We are strong and we will move on with so many wonderful people. <hugs>

 

[Oscarjackson12]

I've not come back to this thread for a while, as I found it too upsetting.

I will ultimately look through the thread to understand the chain of events...to understand exactly what happened...but I'm not ready yet.

My thoughts remain with the loved ones, neighbours and acquaintences of the victims.

To all Canadians, I wish you a wonderful Victoria Day long weekend. It's been a rough start to 2020. We are strong and we will move on with so many wonderful people. <hugs>

It really has been a rough 2020. My heart is def. with the victims and families too.

 

[newguy123]

Thank you Snoopster. With my kids off school anyway, and the rain here, and virus isolation, it sure does not feel like a "long weekend" by any means. Hopefully good weather will fix that!

 

[Amoca]

I don’t know the protocol but it was reported Const Morrison was waiting for her to join him so it appears the two were assigned as partners. This is a description of the occurrence so I’m not sure how the writer makes a connection to the tactical squad getting gas at Enfield.

“RCMP Const. Chad Morrison was waiting in his police cruiser for Const. Heidi Stevenson to join him at the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 224 in Shubenacadie, in central Nova Scotia, as a frantic manhunt unfolded for a killer.

It was around 10:45 Sunday morning, April 19, and both officers knew of the perplexing and frightening update, issued at dawn, that the rampaging killer was dressed as a Mountie and driving a look-a-like RCMP squad car. From the carnage the gunman caused the night before in Portapique, 70 kilometres to the northwest, they knew he was armed and exceedingly dangerous.

If the two constables hadn’t been talking over their radios to arrange their rendezvous, it seems likely Morrison would have been on high alert when an RCMP cruiser approached from the north....”

But he thought it was his colleague.”
How the Nova Scotia killer deceived two RCMP officers and killed one

Remember, Mounties out here rarely have "partners". They meet up if they are doing calls or stops. There's a small detachment in Stewiacke, the bigger one's in Enfield now. Usually each officer has a radio car. I expect this may well change, maybe they'll pair them up.
Const. Morrison, heading to meet Const. Stevenson, if he'd not been shot, between he and Const. Stevenson, they might have been a better threat to the gunman. It's really unfortunate he got shot, had to retreat probably back to Truro, that's the closest hospital, and she ended up taking shooter on alone. He had a push bar on his faux rig, she didn't. Most RCMP cars don't have push bars, not out on this coast. The fact the shooter put one on, leaves me thinking he probably used it in some fashion.

Oh, the guy who was shot AT, that was in Portapique, miles away from Shubenacadie where the officers were shot.

You know the saddest thing? Children were left as witnesses. 2 families of kids witnessed or heard their parent's deaths. (In Portipique) Lisa McCully's kids, and the Blairs.

 

[Snoopster]

Remember, Mounties out here rarely have "partners". They meet up if they are doing calls or stops. There's a small detachment in Stewiacke, the bigger one's in Enfield now. Usually each officer has a radio car. I expect this may well change, maybe they'll pair them up.
Const. Morrison, heading to meet Const. Stevenson, if he'd not been shot, between he and Const. Stevenson, they might have been a better threat to the gunman. It's really unfortunate he got shot, had to retreat probably back to Truro, that's the closest hospital, and she ended up taking shooter on alone. He had a push bar on his faux rig, she didn't. Most RCMP cars don't have push bars, not out on this coast. The fact the shooter put one on, leaves me thinking he probably used it in some fashion.

Oh, the guy who was shot AT, that was in Portapique, miles away from Shubenacadie where the officers were shot.

You know the saddest thing? Children were left as witnesses. 2 families of kids witnessed or heard their parent's deaths. (In Portipique) Lisa McCully's kids, and the Blairs.

pardon my ignorance, but what is a 'push bar'?

 

[Oscarjackson12]

pardon my ignorance, but what is a 'push bar'?

It’s not ignorant .. if you google push bar on police car and click on images you can see it.

 

[Snoopster]

It’s not ignorant .. if you google push bar on police car and click on images you can see it.

OK, I see what it is now...but I don't know how it is significant in this case.

 

[MistyWaters]

Remember, Mounties out here rarely have "partners". They meet up if they are doing calls or stops. There's a small detachment in Stewiacke, the bigger one's in Enfield now. Usually each officer has a radio car. I expect this may well change, maybe they'll pair them up.
Const. Morrison, heading to meet Const. Stevenson, if he'd not been shot, between he and Const. Stevenson, they might have been a better threat to the gunman. It's really unfortunate he got shot, had to retreat probably back to Truro, that's the closest hospital, and she ended up taking shooter on alone. He had a push bar on his faux rig, she didn't. Most RCMP cars don't have push bars, not out on this coast. The fact the shooter put one on, leaves me thinking he probably used it in some fashion.

Oh, the guy who was shot AT, that was in Portapique, miles away from Shubenacadie where the officers were shot.

You know the saddest thing? Children were left as witnesses. 2 families of kids witnessed or heard their parent's deaths. (In Portipique) Lisa McCully's kids, and the Blairs.

Thank you for sharing your local insight. The article I posted a page or so ago indicated Const Morrison was waiting at the intersection for Const Stevenson “to join him”, which I interpreted to mean “partner up” due to their participation in the high risk manhunt. But you’re right, it may refer to something different as it wasn’t fully explained.

 

[paganini]

I was also wondering - were the only surviving 'witnesses' from the neighbourhood get-together, the children? Or was someone spared who may have also been able to call 911, someone other than the gf and the kids? How do police know about the jealous spat between GW and his gf about the earlier video chat GW had had with another female? Is it the gf reporting all of this and a bit of it leaked out?

Edited: reworded slightly to clarify meaning

There are lots of people there who weren't involved. The police seemed to have gotten gw's name as a suspect that night, perhaps from other neighbours or Blair boys. Also, the other details presumably came from g/f to police to source McLean's is citing.

 

[Oscarjackson12]

OK, I see what it is now...but I don't know how it is significant in this case.

He had one on his car (I really hate referring to “it” as a human because it wasn’t) but there could have been more of an impact from the other car. I guess it all depends how they hit too and the speed .. how quickly things happened.

 

[MistyWaters]

Maclean’s source was “according to a police source briefed on the matter but not authorized to discuss it“. As so goes with anonymous sources, Maclean’s has no proof their source was “briefed” so I’m not quite ready to jump on the 3rd version bandwagon. How is it possible all these various “police source” stories don’t correlate?

By descriptions from others who knew the killer, he seemed to fall somewhere between a perfectionist and someone with some sort of severe obsessive compulsive disorder. Yet in this story, as luck would have it the handcuffs were too big and the divider was open while she was left alone in the car.

I think version #2 makes more sense, the fight after the party, then she was able to flee from the house into the forest. JMO

“When he went back into the house, she slipped the cuff off her wrist and escaped from the car by sliding through the plexiglass divider between the front and back seats. She fled into the woods, where she hid until the morning.”
The Nova Scotia shooting and the mistakes the RCMP may have made - Macleans.ca

 

[MistyWaters]

He had one on his car (I really hate referring to “it” as a human because it wasn’t) but there could have been more of an impact from the other car. I guess it all depends how they hit too and the speed .. how quickly things happened.

Interesting, the original CBC story about the push bar has been updated. Just goes to show how easy it can be for media to find a talking head and run with a biased story. Kudos to CBC for their edit though.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-gunman-push-bar-on-vehicle-1.5553056
EDITOR's NOTE: This story has been changed from the original version. When it was published, the story cited a traffic safety expert who said the push bar would have given the gunman a "massive advantage" and likely made a critical difference in the head-on collision with the vehicle of RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson. CBC has since spoken to other collision experts who dispute this, and they are now included in the story.

 

[Oscarjackson12]

Interesting, the original CBC story about the push bar has been updated. Just goes to show how easy it can be for media to find a talking head and run with a biased story. Kudos to CBC for their edit though.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-gunman-push-bar-on-vehicle-1.5553056
EDITOR's NOTE: This story has been changed from the original version. When it was published, the story cited a traffic safety expert who said the push bar would have given the gunman a "massive advantage" and likely made a critical difference in the head-on collision with the vehicle of RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson. CBC has since spoken to other collision experts who dispute this, and they are now included in the story.

I don’t really call it biased .. it just means different experts have opinions.

Reporters usually have good and known contacts. Some of the detail can sometimes be a bit off but that’s not surprising. I mean I can’t call up Global News, pretend I am a police officer and then feed them made up stuff.

 

[MistyWaters]

I don’t really call it biased .. it just means different experts have opinions.

Reporters usually have good and known contacts. Some of the detail can sometimes be a bit off but that’s not surprising. I mean I can’t call up Global News, pretend I am a police officer and then feed them made up stuff.

I’d sure consider it a biased slant when differing opinions are not included within a news report, instead based on only a sole expert. In this particular example, the expert’s qualifications to speak on the topic are also rather questionable IMO.

Sure reporters might have good and known contacts but a reporter in Toronto probably doesn’t have a Nova Scotia source who has access to RCMP case files. What do you think explains the various versions of reports from “police sources” beginning with the ex-girlfriend/wife and her boyfriend becoming the first murder victims if not unreliable sources?

 

[drama_farmer]

For all of his attention to detail regarding his faux RCMP cruiser, I guess he wasn't as exacting when it came to the interior.
His first victim that night, the girlfriend, was able to squeeze her way past the partition that separated the back seat from the front seat, allowing her to escape out the front door.
Certainly not possible in a "real" RCMP cruiser.
IMO, but based on MacLean's article.

 

[Marp]

I’d sure consider it a biased slant when differing opinions are not included within a news report, instead based on only a sole expert. In this particular example, the expert’s qualifications to speak on the topic are also rather questionable IMO.

Sure reporters might have good and known contacts but a reporter in Toronto probably doesn’t have a Nova Scotia source who has access to RCMP case files. What do you think explains the various versions of reports from “police sources” beginning with the ex-girlfriend/wife and her boyfriend becoming the first murder victims if not unreliable sources?

I agree totally. And further, IMO if a reporter isn’t quoting a source verbatim, they summarize and sometimes are telling us what they “think” the source is saying.

Which brings me back to the official home in Portapique of gw.
Paganini posted this map from the April 28 National Post of its location:

This “home” would be 136 Orchard Beach which was reported early on as being burned along with the Blair and Zahl homes. My impression (as I think is Paganini’s) has been that 136 was his work space and IMO probably the location of the pictures of the fake cruiser and party room and that the actual home was at 200 Portapique Beach Rd. (Unless they slept in both) Did 200 burn as well? Has there ever been any report saying more than 3 major buildings burned in Portapique?

IMO the fact that the community is only open to local residents means reporters haven’t been able to confirm what they think sources have told them about locations and the residents are quite rightfully keeping quiet.

 

[Tighthead]

On twitter, Tim Bousquet is updating the affidavit evidence in the search warrants. Some interesting stuff.

 

[paganini]

Re. Unsealed statements: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mass-killing-nova-scotia-search-warrant-1.5575059

 

[paganini]

Did 200 burn as well? Has there ever been any report saying more than 3 major buildings burned in Portapique?

There has been a photo in the media of 200 burned. You can see the address in the photo, which I can't find at the moment. However, drone photo in the CBC article linked above would appear to be that property.

As to how many fires in Portapique - I think the "warehouse", the property at 200, the Zahl / Thomas home (formerly Forbes') at 293 Portapique Beach Road. The Blair home I am less certain of.

I believe this is 293 Portapique Beach Road as it appeared in an old real estate listing.

200 Portapique Beach Road