RCMP face new questions over shootings
Details emerge about replica police gear owned by gunman Mounties address why provincial emergency alert not issued
The man who cut a trail of mayhem and death across northern Nova Scotia while driving a look-alike RCMP vehicle had openly boasted about his replica cruiser.
Former Dartmouth alderman Donald Walker, whose family hired Gabriel Wortman in the 1990s to work in their funeral home business before he switched careers to become a denturist, told the Star on Wednesday that Wortman proudly showed him pictures of the vehicle.
“He didn’t hide this vehicle. This car was not like in a garage where he was secretly making it,” Walker said.
“I was well aware of the police vehicle. He was very proud of that vehicle. He told me he wanted to go to car shows, take it there, show off … My fun time is sailing boats. This was his fun thing.”
How Wortman came to acquire the vehicle and parts, as well as an authentic RCMP uniform — which police have said he was wearing as he went on a weekend shooting rampage that left 22 people dead — is among the growing list of questions that investigators have not answered.
At a news conference on Wednesday, questions intensified about critical decisions that the RCMP made over the weekend, including when and how they chose to alert the public about the fleeing gunman who left behind a destructive path scattered across16 crime scenes.
Chief Supt. Chris Leather said police found out about the replica vehicle, as well as the uniform the suspect was wearing, from a “key witness” on Sunday between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.
A tweet wasn’t sent out until after10 a.m., informing the public of an active shooter who may be driving what appeared to be an RCMP vehicle and wearing an RCMP uniform.
Leather said the RCMP, which had only been using Twitter to provide updates to the public during the manhunt, were in the process of preparing an emergency alert that would appear on smartphones and televisions later Sunday morning when the suspect was shot and killed by officers at a gas station in Enfield, N.S.
The U.S. Consulate in Halifax emailed alerts to its citizens warning of the danger and to remain inside, saying it based its alert on the RCMP’s tweets.
“It is our protocol — when emergencies occur — to alert U.S. citizens in the area to the situation,” said Marcia R. SeitzEhler, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate.
Leather attributed the delay to officials needing to locate the officers in charge in order to decide what the contents of the message would be. He confirmed Wortman had acted alone and said police were still investigating whether Wortman may have used his disguise to pull over drivers and execute them. They are also trying to determine if anyone assisted him before the incident.
Also on Wednesday, the identities of two more victims emerged.
Multiple social media accounts from relatives and a New Brunswick church shared sadness at the news that Peter and Joy Bond, a couple who “were loved by their family, friends and community,” are among the dead.
The couple lived in Portapique, N.S., and had two sons, according to a fundraising page set up for their family. Bradley Monks wrote on Monday he received word the attacks were on his sister’s street, and the couple had not been heard from.
“God please let them be OK,” Monks wrote. Later this week he shared photos in their memory.
Granddaughter Tiffany wrote on Monday, “No words can describe how I feel at the moment,” and shared a photo of Joy and Peter. “I have lots of memories to hold on to. I know you both will be looking over us and your family,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, an expert in police-community relations in the United States said police are likely playing it “close to the vest” because they aren’t sure where the investigation will lead.
Lorenzo Boyd, assistant provost and director of the University of New Haven’s Center for Advanced Policing in Connecticut, said police need to release as much information as possible, but added some information could be withheld if officers think it could lead to a break in the case.
“But, the main objective of the police should be to reassure the public,” he said.
Even with the perpetrator dead, police may be trying to find out how he acquired the weapon used in the crime, which could involve another person, Boyd said.
Walker — Wortman’s former employer — said “none of us saw the signs.” He said acquiring decommissioned police cars is not out of the ordinary.
“I would suggest to you there are a number of people that have bought these police cars — maybe not done as much as he’s done, but fixed them up to look more like the police car than they already did look.” Walker said Wortman acquired many items from a local auction house selling Crown assets and used a local detail shop to apply the graphics and decals. He said Wortman told him last year the RCMP were aware of his replica vehicle and had advised him if he planned to take it on the highway he would need to transport it on a trailer.