13 Hours Inside the Nova Scotia Massacre

Since the dawn of time, humanity has been at war.  Conflict in one form or another has been part of our existence since we first walked the earth.   In this first episode of a four-part series, join military historian David Borys as we travel back in time to Iran, where we chart how a modern monarchy, which was armed, wealthy, and globally backed, lost control. On our journey, we'll be helped by historian Roham Alvandi from the London School of Economics and Political Science. While conflict and armed rebellion have evolved to look very differently over the centuries, if you want to understand the world today, you need to go back because history doesn't just repeat itself; it echoes.   Be sure to follow "Hostile History" on your favourite podcast app, so you never miss an episode.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final episode, the gunman is killed in a chance encounter with police at a gas station, ending 13 hours of horror in Nova Scotia. But this story begins decades before April 18, 2020. Family members describe a pattern of abuse in the Wortman family going back generations. And experts say there are links between childhood maltreatment and violence. In fact, a history of childhood abuse and neglect is very common among mass shooters in the United States. It’s one of four commonalities that researchers call the pathway to violence. Experts say ending the cycle of violence for good is one way we can prevent mass shootings from happening. We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours Instagram: @13hourspodcast Email: [email protected] Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode picks up the gunman’s movements through central Nova Scotia on the morning of April 19, 2020, as he drove toward Halifax. A chance encounter put him in the paths of two RCMP officers. Constables Chad Morrison and Heidi Stevenson were planning to meet on the side of the road near Shubenacadie, unaware the gunman was nearby. The gunman shot Chad, and then collided with Heidi’s car. He shot and killed her before murdering Joey Webber, who stopped to help. Then he stole Joey’s vehicle and drove away. In this episode, we learn about other shootings in recent years in which RCMP members have been killed. Experts say the force is slow to change, and question whether it’s time for provinces and municipalities to create their own police forces instead of contracting the RCMP. We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours Instagram: @13hourspodcast Email: [email protected] Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the morning of April 19, 2020, Greg Muise and Darrell Currie were preparing the Onslow Belmont Fire Brigade to help evacuees from Portapique, N.S. Suddenly, shots rang out and bullets sprayed the building, forcing them and others to run for cover. They thought they were going to die at the hands of the gunman. But it was the police who were shooting. In this episode we break down what happened, second by second, as we describe what surveillance video captured. We also hear harrowing testimony from the firefighters about what they lived through that day, and from witnesses who saw it unfold. More than 10 months later, the firefighters say they've never gotten an explanation or an apology from police. We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours Instagram: @13hourspodcast Email: [email protected] Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we hear from police on scene in Portapique for the first time through recently uncovered recordings of their radio communications. The recordings show police were having communication issues and navigation issues as they searched for the gunman in the early morning on April 19, 2020. We also hear from Leon Joudrey, the first person to speak with the gunman’s common-law partner after she emerged from the woods. RCMP say she was a key witness, giving them crucial new information about his police disguise and his weapons. Then our story follows the gunman as he leaves Debert and drives to Wentworth, N.S. We'll introduce you to his next victims, Sean McLeod and Alanna Jenkins. We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours Instagram: @13hourspodcast Email: [email protected] Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Overnight on April 18 and 19, 2020, Nova Scotia RCMP were searching for a gunman who had murdered 13 people and lit buildings on fire in Portapique. It turns out that police had been warned about the gunman nearly a decade earlier, when an officer from a nearby police force was told that he had a collection of guns and wanted to "kill a cop." Police now say they had no record of that warning on the weekend of the shooting because it was purged from their records management system. In this episode, ex-Mounties question what was done with the warnings about the gunman, and why local police forces close to Portapique were not called in to help with the manhunt that night. We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours Instagram: @13hourspodcast Email: [email protected] Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Overnight on April 18, 2020, Gabriel Wortman was hiding out in an industrial area in the town of Debert, N.S. According to surveillance footage, he arrived at 11:12 p.m., 27 minutes after police said he left Portapique. But this is the point where the timeline of events becomes less clear; we don't know what he was doing in those overnight hours. In this episode, we dig into aspects of Wortman's behaviour and personality that experts say were red flags: his vehicle that the RCMP said looked “identical in every way” to a real police car; his extensive police memorabilia collection; and, how he was reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours Instagram: @13hourspodcast Email: [email protected] Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first sign from the outside that something was horribly wrong in Portapique, Nova Scotia, was rush of 911 calls around 10 p.m. Saturday, April 18, 2020 was an otherwise quiet night across the province. Much of the world was deep into the COVID-19 pandemic, sheltering in place to stop the spread of the virus. But the tiny community of Portapique on the Bay of Fundy became a waking nightmare as 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman began shooting his neighbours, and lighting homes on fire. When officers arrived on scene they were met by a car speeding out of the area. Inside, was a victim who would become a key witness. But within an hour of the start of the rampage, Wortman had killed 13 people. He had also escaped. And police had no idea where he was. We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours Instagram: @13hourspodcast Email: [email protected] Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The deadliest shooting spree in Canada’s modern history left us with far more questions than answers. Join Sarah Ritchie, a reporter for Global News in Halifax, as she tries to unravel how something like this could happen there. Sarah will take you through every hour, as it unfolded and together you’ll try and piece together what happened, what could or should’ve been done to prevent it and what we can learn to make sure a tragedy of this magnitude never happens again. 13 Hours: inside the Nova Scotia Massacre coming soon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices