2020 Nova Scotia attacks

On the night of April 18, 2020, 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman assaulted his partner, Lisa Banfield, at their cottage in Portapique, Nova Scotia, set the property on fire, and began a shooting rampage that continued into the following day across at least 16 crime scenes spanning more than 50 kilometres. Wortman, driving a replica RCMP cruiser and wearing a police uniform, killed 22 people and injured others before he was shot and killed by RCMP officers at a service station in Enfield on the morning of April 19. The attacks are recognized as the deadliest shooting rampage in Canadian history.

The rampage began when Wortman assaulted Banfield, who escaped and hid in the woods overnight. Victims in Portapique included neighbours Greg Blair, his wife Jamie Blair, and Lisa McCully, among 13 people who died there; some victims died in structure fires Wortman deliberately set. RCMP response was delayed and criticized: the first officers arrived roughly 25 minutes after initial 911 calls, struggled to locate the shooter, and did not block an unmapped exit road Wortman used to leave Portapique. Overnight, the RCMP's only Atlantic-based helicopter was unavailable for the manhunt due to maintenance.

On April 19, Wortman continued the attack in Wentworth, Debert, and Shubenacadie, killing additional victims, including RCMP Constable Heidi Stevenson, who was shot after a head-on collision with Wortman's vehicle; he then stole her sidearm. Another RCMP officer, Constable Chad Morrison, was injured but survived. Wortman also killed a motorist who stopped to help Stevenson and stole that victim's vehicle. He was fatally shot by RCMP officers at the Irving Big Stop in Enfield after raising Stevenson's stolen pistol to his own head.

All five firearms used by Wortman were illegally acquired — two rifles and two handguns he owned, plus Stevenson's stolen service pistol — with some smuggled from the United States. No motive for the attacks has been established. Police had received at least four prior reports about Wortman's threatening or violent behaviour dating back to 2001, including a 2011 tip that he wanted to "kill a cop" and a 2013 domestic violence report, none of which resulted in significant action.

The RCMP's failure to use the national Alert Ready emergency system to warn the public, instead relying on social media, drew significant public criticism, as did broader aspects of the police response. This led to the establishment of the Mass Casualty Commission, a public inquiry that released its final report on March 30, 2023, sharply criticizing the RCMP's preparation, communication, and accountability, and issuing more than 130 recommendations. In the wake of the attacks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a ban on roughly 1,500 makes and models of "assault-style" firearms on May 1, 2020. Wortman's partner and two relatives were later charged with providing him ammunition; the charges were dismissed after the matter was directed to a restorative justice process.