Errors and Omissions Revealed in RCMP Statements After N.S. Shooting

The document, released by the Commission of Inquiry into the 2020 tragedy on Tuesday, also claims that key information about the case, including the names of the victims and the types of weapons used by the killer, was withheld from the public. longer than necessary.

The commission of inquiry does not have a mandate to assign blame, but the 126-page document lists a long list of errors and delays, some of which have angered senior RCMP officials in Ottawa.

The evidence summary confirms that on the night of April 19, 2020, when the RCMP held its first press conference on the 13-hour carnage, it initially chose to underestimate the number of people believed to be victims.

The senior official who led the first RCMP press conferences, Superintendent Chris Leather, said after being pressed by reporters that more than 10 people were killed. However, before his 6 p.m. press conference in Halifax, Mr Leather was aware that other victims had been found and that the official death toll was 17, according to the document.

In media interviews later that evening, RCMP chief Commissioner Brenda Lucki told CBC that 13 people had been killed. And just before 8 p.m. that night, Ms Lucki told The Canadian Press that the death toll was 17.

The resulting confusion caused a flurry of emails among senior RCMP officials. Jolene Bradley, director of strategic communications at RCMP headquarters in Ottawa, sent a message to her counterpart in Nova Scotia, saying: It doesn’t help that the [commissaire] give the number! I really try to put it back in the box for you.

Lia Scanlan, Director of Strategic Communications in Halifax, responded: Thanks. It looks awful and I had to ask my whole team to turn off their phones. […] Lord help me!!

At 10.21 p.m. Ms. Scanlan sent another email to headquarters saying: Can I make a request to stop changing the number of victims? Please allow us to direct the release of information. It feels fragmented and inconsistent.

In a follow-up interview with those responsible for the investigation, Scanlan said government officials, including Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, assessed what we could and couldn’t say during press briefings. She did not give further details.

Ms Scanlan told the inquest that 10 was the number first used by the Nova Scotia RCMP because at some point you have to give your definitive information.

At approximately 11:00 p.m. on April 19, 2020, the RCMP had concluded that up to 22 people had been killed. The next day, Leather said the death toll had risen to at least 19. The RCMP did not release the final number until a statement was issued on April 21, 2020.

At another point in the first press conference, Mr. Leather was asked if the killer was known to the police. He replied no, but that was not the case.

On the morning of April 19, 2020, RCMP learned from police records that the killer had threatened to murder his parents in 2010 and had access to long guns. Records also confirmed that he told a police source in 2011 that he wanted to kill a policeman. And in early 2020, he had a bizarre, but non-violent, interaction with the police officers who had parked their vehicle in the parking lot next to his denture manufacturing business in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

As for the identities of the victims, Mr. Leather said on April 20, 2020 that no names would be released until the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner confirmed the identities of certain individuals.

However, the RCMP’s own records show that by 5:25 p.m. that day, all next of kin of the victims had been notified of their deaths, and RCMP headquarters had confirmed its agreement to release the names. .

On April 25, the media confirmed the names of the 22 victims, but the RCMP had not yet provided a list.

The RCMP operational manual states that the names of deceased persons may be released once next of kin have been notified, but only if disclosure would advance the investigation, if there was a public safety concern or if the identities had already been made public by other means.