In the quiet, picturesque community of portopic Nova, Scotia. The night of April eighteenth, twenty twenty began like any other, a time for relaxation and family. But as the clock ticked past ten pm, an unfathomable terror was unleashed. A man clad in a police uniform navigated the darkened streets with a sinister purpose. Over the next thirteen hours, his rampage would leave twenty two people dead and an entire province reeling in shock and confusion.
My name's Nicole, my name's Ben, and you're listening to Wicked and Grim, a true crime podcast.
Good morning podcast seminarial for mature audience listeners.
Just question this that.
We got nothing to open here? Cans of sorts?
Nope, I've got a coffee.
We should be drinking Mimosa's. It's the morning.
We could be drinking mimosas.
Have we ever drank mimosas on the podcast before? I don't know, I know, I'm unsure.
I do like mimosas. I like Mimosa's a lot. Yeah, I also like Margarita's a lot. Break those in the podcast.
You had to choice, what would it be?
Oh, Margarita is yeah, yeah, Margaret, But I don't know. Hold on, I'm backtracking here, because they each have their own like vibe to them, you know. Yeah, they like if I were to have a Margarita in a mimosa situation and then a mimosa and a Margarita situation, like, it just doesn't work as well when I feel like.
You can have mimosas all day. But I don't know if you could really drink margerite in the morning.
Oh, try me try.
I don't know. I don't know.
If it was yes, we've done it, We've done it. It does hit good. But mimosas, I don't know. They have their certain place. If I had to pick, I would pick Margarita's really okay, it would be it would be a detriment to my life if I had to sacrifice one of the other.
Well, we are going to probably have some beverages a little later because we are going to be hitting up a lake.
Yeah, lake day. We're going to take the doges. They're going to go out and maybe do a bit of swimming. Nicole's going to do some paddle born in. Yeah, I'm going to do some drinking. Maybe good, Maybe Margarita Yeah.
It's supposed to be like twenty seven degrees or something here today, Celsius Celsius, Yeah, going to take advantage of that.
No kidding. So it'll be a good day for sure.
But yeah, we got a bit of a heavy case here.
You're presenting, I am presenting. Holy shit, been a while.
What kind of day is it today? Yeah? I know that's brutal, but yeah, we're finally covering the Nova Scotia mass shooting, which has been on my list for some time. One I like have been putting off for some time. Yeah, there's a lot to it, but I think I've like it could be numerous episodes, but I feel like I've streamlined it. You know, it's gonna be a good one one episode for this case.
Awesome. So yeah, I do know there's some people who are gonna be listening to this and going to probably be shouting as this case occurs, specifically talking about Larissa. I know, because we've already chatted about this one.
Yeah. Well, I mean of most Canadians, like it was it was pretty brutal day.
Oh was it ever?
Yeah?
And then also those who were involved with RCMP, the authorities and stuff. It's heavy for them a little extra even as well.
So yeah, I ain't that the truth?
Eh, Yeah, So I know about this case, but I do not know a lot of the details. So I am excited to hear what you have brought to the table on this.
Yeah. I mean I knew most of everything, I feel like, but there's like the tiny bit. It's like a refresher you can't remember, and we're going to go over over the victims and stuff, right, So that's good, that's good. So yeah, Gabriel Wortman, I might end up calling him Wartman because for some reason, like I was just always pronouncing his name Wartman, and he like fit being a wort So I just like, but any it is Wortman.
If I say Wartman, I apologize. So his rampage began on April eighteen, twenty twenty, in the small rural community of portapic Porta Pick is home to approximately one hundred individuals, so it's very very small, a population that does increase to about two fifty residents in the summer. So it was ten oh one pm, a time when the day's activities are winding down and individuals may be settling into a quiet like more relaxed routine right, perhaps watching TV, reading or spending time with family.
Or drinking and marcurite, yeah or mimosa.
However, for the Blair household, this peaceful evening turned into a night of chaos and terror when they were the first victims of Wortman's rampage. The Blair boys, aged ten to twelve, were playing a video game when they heard their father, Greg yell, what the fuck are you doing with a gun?
Oh? Shit?
Next they heard a shot as Greg was killed steps from the family's front door. Jamie, Greg's wife and mother to the boys, ran inside the house to gather her children and call nine one one. They hid in the bedroom, Jamie using her body as a shield to guard the bedroom door from the inside of the room. As the boys hid behind the bed. Wortman shot numerous times right through the bedroom door, killing Jamie in front of her sons. He then prepared to light the Blair family home on fire.
He turned the propane stove on and scattered hot dog and Hamburger buns on top of the flaming element, and littered logs from the woods store over the floor. Thankfully, the boys did realize what was happening and they were able to escape, running into the woods and eventually over to a neighbor's to seek help. Jamie was the first to alert the RCMP of what was happening in Portapic.
Before you know, she was shot, and no one, not even the RCMP, could have anticipated the tear that would unfold over the next thirteen hours.
Wow, that is a wild start. Yeah, dang, I don't know if I ever actually knew of the story of the first victimized family. Yeah, like I knew, you know, the story that that unfolds a bit, like the rampage and everything, but I never I don't think I ever heard the story of the first family.
Okay, wow, okay, yeah, super sad.
I'm glad the boys got out though.
Well I know, and just like like that mom, hey like just used her body as like a complete shield to like protect her boys. Like that is I mean, that's parenthood right there. But it just like it makes your stomach turn. Yeah, yeah, it really does.
Yeah.
Okay, so I don't really want to, but we got to look at who Gabriel Wortman is and his story because it's needed to be told as part of this story, right.
To really try and understand what the fuck happened?
Yeah. Yeah, So Wortman grew up in a troubled home environment, and it was suggested that him and his mother were abused by his father, Paul Wortman. One particular incident that I read this is brutal, said Paul didn't think his son was taking care of their family dog properly, like as he should, and so he actually made his son, Gabrielle gabriel whatever, shoot the dog.
Oh snap, yeah, wow, Like.
I can't even imagine. And that was said by Wortman's uncle, and he wondered, like what would that do to a kid? And I kind of wonder the same thing.
Well, that's like that Old Yeller scene. But that's I mean Old Yeller Will like had fucking rabies and shit, and it was like, you gotta do something, you gotta put him out of his misery. Yeah, this is like, oh, you're not taking care of the dog. Shoot him. He's perfectly fine. This is solely on you kids. Yeah, like you didn't take care of Oh, you gotta kill a.
Whole traumatize the baka to you for the rest of your life.
Really, I do want to clarify it. So it's not solely on the kid. That's probably the perspective of the time I was being put on.
Yeah yeah, oh yeah. So family members described a legacy of violent spanning generations. Wortman's uncles recounted their own traumatic experiences with their father, so that would have been Workman's grandfather, highlighting a cycle of abuse. Despite his chaotic upbringing, Workman established a successful career as a denturist in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He was known for his meticulous work and had a
steady client base. He did well for himself financially. His net worth was act actually just over two million from the properties and businesses that he owned, and he had a long term relationship with his common lost pousset Lisa Banfield, but their relationship was flawed by domestic violence and control issues. Lisa was actually the very start of Workman's rampage. Just before arriving at the Blairs, Workman assaulted and bound Lisa up. She however, did manage to escape as well and hidden
the woods through the night. Wortman did have numerous instances of threatening behavior towards others, including violent outbursts and a known history of domestic abuse. Workman had previously pleaded guilty to assault in two thousand and two and was sentenced to nine months of probation in which he was prohibited from having weapons in order to undergo anger management counseling.
He was also involved in two civil lawsuits over property disputes, one in two thousand and four and one in twenty fifteen. The disputes highlighted Workman's manipulative behavior, especially in regards to real estate transactions. So I'll touch on the one. The one in two thousand and four, he had offered to help a friend out who was struggling financially and about
to lose their home. But what Workman actually did. He discreetly took ownership of the friends home and then later sold the property.
Wow. What a dick.
Yeah, Like, this guy, I feel like is like a super dick. No kid, Well, obviously he's he's more than that. But it's clearly like you're like offered to help your friend out and then you do that, Like that's the bullshit right there.
Wow? Okay.
It was also suggested that Workman struggled with alcohol use and with the start of COVID nineteen because at this point, like we were about a month in two the pandemic in Canada. Yea, his business was negatively affected by the tank the pandemic, which had forced all non essential dentrist services in Nova Scotia to close. So the pandemic kind
of like consumed him. He went about stockpiling supplies. He made hefty bank withdrawals like thousands upon that, like hundreds of thousands of dollars, and went about being well armed even though he didn't actually like he couldn't have weapons, Like he didn't have the what is it possession and acquisition license? Yeah, pl Yeah, so he didn't have one of those for the purchase of his weapons, but he still stockpiled them.
Wow, Okay, I wonder how he was getting weapons without having a pal. Well money, right, yes, money does talk fair enough.
Yeah, so that is a big ol'd pile of shit basically that I just stumped on you about Wortman. But the real kicker in this case and why it was able to escalate in the way it did, I believe, and I'm pretty sure most other people believe, is Wortman's fascination with lawment to the extent that it was a hobby for him. According to Wortman's yearbook, he'd aspired to become a police officer, but his partner said that he actually disliked law enforcement and thought that he was better than them.
Yeah, he probably resented them because he's all like, oh, yeah, I'm better than you. Why are you? Like you're not? Yeah, you're I could have been a cop if I wanted to, totally like one of those old school situations where it's like the uh, the college football guy who never actually made it to pro and all he does is talk about I would have made it, but the coach and I didn't see eye to eye and my knee gave out, like you know, I could have done that, like that sort of thing.
Well, and I think too it might be something that he like struggles with, probably authority figures as well.
Yeah, probably so.
So. He was an avid collector of police memorabilia and refurbishing old police cruisers. So over the years prior to April eighteenth, Wortman had constructed almost unexact replica RCMP vehicle, right down to like the decals, you know, the lights on top, the divider between like the front and the back seat, like et cetera.
Like it was a replica, which I'm pretty sure is highly illegal to do. I think if you do it, you have to have specific licensing and like permission, and then in certain cases you have to like applications to even like have this thing shown in like showcases and stuff. You can't be driving it in the street.
Well, no, like I don't, like, yeah, I don't think it would be legal. I don't really know if there's like a like laws per se. But like even some of the ways of him getting some of the things were illegal, like the printing of the decals and stuff, but then some of the things that he was able to purchase seemed semi easy, like online and stuff, right, like people selling things. Yeah, so I don't I don't know.
It's confusing because it is out there, but I don't think anyone really thought anyone would like go to the extent of like completely replicating an ARC fee vehicle.
You know, there are replicas there, there's a big community within like the automobile world, there's people who want to replicate things. They want to go classics new like it's huge.
Okay, but using it as this like you know, in your garage and then like using it the way he.
Does Yeah, well that's what I mean. It's like to do that. I'm pretty sure you have to go through a very specific set of standards and steps and applications to replicate a police vehicle. Yeah, and even if you do, you can't just drive it willy nilly, because as soon as you do drive it, as soon as you lose your leave your driveway, you are impersonating a police totally, yeah, which is a federal offense.
But yeah, I'm just trying to say, like a lot of the things I feel it seemed like it was easy to purchase. The decals for one, I know he did pretty sketchy because I don't really know if those would be something easy to purchase. And then like his uniform and stuff that he was wearing because he had like a wardrobe to go along with this RCM vehicle and those them those things like you can buy online on eBay and stuff.
No, I totally understand, like you get like this piece here, this piece there. I'm just saying, like doing the police cruiser thing in itself, that just doing it, whether you piece it together or not, is in itself is illegal. It's all I'm saying.
Yeah, So basically knowing that he was in this replica, and he also was dressed the part. You can only imagine the chaos that would arise from this rampage, right.
Oh kidding.
Until you approached Wortman, there was no differentiating him from a real police officer.
Wow.
Yeah, Okay, So we'll go back to the timeline here. So Saturday, around ten h five pm next to the Blairs, Lisa McCully, who was an elementary school teacher, was next to be killed as she stepped outside to investigate flames rising around the tree line at her neighbor's house. So the Blair's house, you know, had got caught on fire by Workman. He also had lit his own garage on fire as well, so there were like a couple fires
in the neighborhood at this time. Lisa was a mother to two children who she had put to bed for the evening prior to her death. She saw a man outside dress as an RCMP officer, who she assumed was there to assist, so she approached. It was Workman, and without hesitation, he shot Lisa. Lisa was described as a gifted teacher, and it was said to know Lisa was to know life in full color. Lisa's children left alone eventually found refuge with the Blair boys, who arrived to
that home seeking help. The four children called nine to one one and sheltered in the basement, waiting for real police officers to rescue them, who assured them of a safe word to verify their identity when they did arrive.
Good.
Yeah, but that is just like, oh my gosh, it's just like heartbreaking that you would have to describe to kids, you know that, like, Okay, we'll come, but like this is the safe word, so make sure you know that you're hearing that before you let us in.
Yeah. Well, I think that's something that a lot of people actually put in practice, like because you know, like if they send like Uncle Steve to go pick their kids up from school or something like that, and then here it's actually stranger or whatever, it's like, well, you have a safe ward in the family. Uncle Steve was supposed to tell me turtle before he picks me up. This supposed Uncle Steve doesn't know the word turtle. Yeah, I'm not getting in your car.
Yeah. Well, I mean I used to run a summer camp and like when parents came to pick up driver or like the kids from the camp, Like they'd have to show us their driver's license, even if it was like the kid had been there all week, Like we still need to physically see that. And so many parents I think, would you know, they'd be frustrated, like they'd have to walk back to their car, like are you kidding me? I'm just like trying to pick up my kid.
But like the thing is, it's for the family's benefit, right, Oh definitely. I mean because there are sick people out there. We're very aware of this, and like you can never be too safe.
Yeah, well, all it takes is for someone to impersonate someone else. Clearly in this situation, that's what's going on now. If someone were to be watching that family and want to target their child and impersonate that mother and or father, you know, you need your driver's license to prove it to you.
Yeah, what if the mom has a twin or something that's right, you know, suffering with mental health disorder or something, and you know has very bad thoughts of what they could do to this child.
So having that driver's license to show or the safety word, I love that.
Yeah. So being that the community was quite small, it was a fairly close knit community. As you can imagine, a couple who had also noticed flames drove from up the road to investigate. Workman oh I already said this he had set his own garage on fire, and that was actually what the couple was seeing and driving towards. They called nine one one, and while on the phone, they spotted an RCMP vehicle at another neighbor's house and told the dispatcher there appear to actually be an officer
already on the scene. Right However, as they drove back home, the person in the police car started driving towards them, so they rolled down their window to talk, but instead of being approached by an officer, the driver right away recognized the man as Wortman, who was now shooting at them. Wow, the driver was hit twice. I'm just kind of like not saying his name because he didn't want his name
being said. But this driver said that he was hit twice, one bullet through the shoulder and the other grazing his forehead. The driver did manage to drive away and was able to inform the arriving RCMP officers this crucial information that Wortman was disguised as a police officer and had the vehicle to match it. This was at about ten twenty six when officers started to arrive in Port a Pic and they were already arriving to quite a scene. They found bodies on the road in homes as well as
buildings on fire. It was a scene I don't think that you could ever have prepared yourself for. Among the victims already mentioned, there were another ten victims in Portapic to lose their life that night, So I'm just gonna go through them. So we had Peter and Joy Bond. They were long residents who enjoyed their peaceful community. They were killed in their home, with their bodies being discovered the next morning. Cory Ellison Corey was forty two and
visiting his father when he was killed. He was legally blind, but described as a beautiful soul, someone who had a deep love for music and enjoyed outdoor activities. Joline Oliver, Aaron Tuck and their daughter, Emily Tuck. Joline and Aaron's daughter, Emily was only seventeen years old. She was passionate about playing the fiddle and had plans for her future. Education. Was thirty nine and Aarin was forty five. They were
a young family that had moved from Calgary to Nova Scotia. They, like many of the others, were neighbors of Workman, so knew him. Aarin had apparently known about Workman's Replica Cruiser. He was a mechanic, so I don't know if like Wortman had asked him things or whatever, and he had discussed reporting it but he couldn't because Workman had threatened him. So Don Mattson and Frank Gulukin Sorry if I'm pronouncing
that wrong. The couple had been together in Portabit since the summer of twenty nineteen, so like this is they haven't even been you know, for a whole year. Yeah, and this was just after Dawn had retired from her job as a dietary aid. Frank had renovated their home in Port A pic for their retirement. So I think they had had the home previously, but he had like meticulously renovated like their dream retirement home, right, and it was set ablaze by Workman after he killed the couple.
They were described as dedicated and loving individuals, a coworker describing Don as a beam of sunshine.
Wow.
Ah, it hurt, Yeah, it just like it makes your heart feel real tight, Elizabeth Joanne Thomas and John zeal So. Like Don and Frank, Joanne and John chose porta Pic as their retirement home. Like it was a community that people kind of wanted to retire and it was like beautiful, right yep. The couple raised two boys together. John was a US Navy veteran, and both of them worked on charity product projects together, providing food and laundry services for
the homeless. Their son described their mother as a living walking angel.
Oh my god.
Their home was also set ablaze by Wortman.
Holy fuck, Okay, I.
Know the way that some d seper described I'm like, God, I can only help, you could only help.
I don't think anyone would ever fucking describe me like that, I know.
Like a ray of sunshine, like a living angel. Like I'm like, these are just like like these people are good people, right, and they are losing their life for absolutely no reason at all. Here. Oh so, the man hint hunt to find Workman continued through the night, and ultimately the attacks continued. The following morning. Workman had been able to escape porta Pic. A section of the highway
was blocked off, but what police didn't realize. You know, maybe not only a local may have realized this is that Porta Pick had a back way out a dirt road along a blueberry field that also led to the highway,
and they did not have that blocked. It was later determined that Workman escaped out of Porta Pic via this route within the hour after the attack, so I think it was like twenty minutes after police had even got there, and he drove twenty seven kilometers to the community of de Bert, where he spent the night parked behind a welding shop before daybreak. Whereman Leftrobert, arriving in the Wentworth
area at about six thirty am. Now I'm sure the RCMP, I just got to say they I'm sure they did the like the absolute best with the skills and resources they had at the time of the rampage. Like I've mentioned, I mean, regardless of your job, no one I feel like should have to be prepared to deal with like this kind of shit, really, right, So, and it's always much easier to think of ideas and better ways of
handling something after the fact. But it's something I do have to touch on because of the amount of criticism they have received in regards to how everything was handled, and we'll touch on it more thoroughly at the end, but there's a few things I'll go over for now, the first one being the assumption the RCMP apparently made in regards to workmen. So by dawn, with no signs of the gunman, they assumed that he must have taken his own life, which isn't necessarily an unusual outcome after
a violent rampage like this one. They thought they'd find evidence as they went through the rubble of destruction left behind by him, but that was very much so not the case. The police were communicating with the public via tweeter, tweeter, tweeter, tweeter, Twitter, Holy shit, it should be called tweeter. I like that better. You like, well, it's act Twitter now. I know. I'm just gonna call it Twitter because it was called Twitter at the time.
Tweeter, I like.
The first announcement regarding the incident went out at eleven thirty two pm, saying that they were responding to a firearms complaint in port A pic and asked people to avoid the area and like lock their doors. But at this time workman was like had already left port A Pick right. Yeah, So nothing else was released by the RCMP until the following morning at eight o two and eight fifty four AM. So at aight oh two they were saying the porta pic situation involves an active shooter.
At eight fifty four, they released a photo of the gunman on Twitter and said he is considered armed and dangerous.
Didn't say anything about him in personating an officer. No, so they have an active shooter impersonating an officer And they didn't even say much of the information until the following day, and they chose Twitter or tweeter tweeter. Oh, that's a good one to actually post. You know what I think in a situation like that, that calls for like the emergency response system where everyone gets a notification.
On their Yeah, that's the thing. Because Broadcast Radio twenty twenty, right, yeah, we had we had that. Yeah, and like a lot of people, I mean, it's rule like they maybe don't have access to the Internet all the time, or like it's older individuals that right, aren't the fuck on Twitter?
So yeah, radio broadcast the news like people are if they don't have like you said, it's rural, maybe they don't even have Internet access. Yeah, maybe they don't have cell service. They're probably turning on their TV with the rabbity ors of the radio. Who knows that's their source of getting connected with with media.
Yeah, and I mean they it's kind of difficult because maybe they were thinking that they didn't They weren't sure like people had been reporting, right, but they haven't seen it with their own eyes, so maybe they weren't. I don't know what they were thinking about not releasing that. It's very bizarre.
But you had a neighbor, yeah, who knew of that car thing, who witnessed him saying, yes, I know he has this car. Yes, I saw him driving the car in the uniform. Yes I recognized.
Him because I didn't even really put it in here. But I think the thing that allowed them to release the full information to the public was that once Lisa, like the partner, had come forward, she told all of them that he was dressed this way and had this replica or seemed p vehicle. So then I don't know if that was like, you know, what they needed to put it out there, but they did.
Have that, But they already did one thing where like the RCMP, like the guys on the ground, right they said, we have a safe word to ensure it's us, not anyone impersonating. They knew, they knew. Yeah, so whoever, this fucking higher up person is who's in charge of actually putting it out to the public.
I know they stalled for some reason.
Yeah, they didn't. It's not even that they stalled. They weren't doing their fucking job, because to say the next morning it's an active shooter, that's eight ten hours later after the active shooter situation.
It was eight hours later, right, Yeah.
Because even besides the impersonating officer, they knew active shooter and they did not tell the public. And when they did, they did it on fucking tweeter. Fucking tweeter.
I'm going to just continue on with my notes here. I know we've talked about a bit of it, but no, because it it is a problem. Well, let me just get We'll get through the section and then we can say more. But the attacker's disguise and the use of the replica police vehicle was not released, which is unfortunate and why people, including the victims' families, are quite upset. They're thinking more lives would have been saved if this
information was released. To the public to not necessarily trust any officer that you're crossing paths with in the area. This information wasn't actually released to the public until ten seventeen, again via Twitter, and by then Workman had already taken many more lives. Fuck and like that. We'll go through their stories and stuff. But I think some of the people, like they wouldn't have been in the situations that they were if they knew that there was this person going
on a rampage. Yeah, they I don't think they would have.
That's kind of what I figured. Oh boy, holy shit.
So I had mentioned. Wortman arrived in the wet Wentworth area at about six thirty, which is roughly sixty kilometers from Porta pic where as far as the public is concerned, is where everyone still thinks Workman is right, yeah, or he's like deceased there or whatever. But instead he was heading to a home on a Hunter Road where he kills two men and a woman, Alana Jenkins, Sean McLeod and their neighbor Tom Bagley. Both Alana and Sean were
corrections officers who did know the killer. Their daughter said they would have done anything for anybody, and they always made sure people felt welcome in their home. So I don't necessarily know, I think regardless of if the police released Well maybe not though, because if they had released like who it was and stuff, they might have been more on alert, right because they did know of who he was.
I don't know.
And then Tom Bagley, he was aged seventy. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was out on his morning walk when he was killed as he approached the burning house of his neighbors. He was described as a man who wore many hats, an earnest storyteller who could keep people captivated until the very end. He was a retired crass rescue firefighter who served for
ten years in the Royal Canadian Navy. So he went to try to go and like help at Atlanta and Shawn's home, right, wow, And it's just like these little communities too, like you're just you go and help your neighbors, right, and like there's people that are just getting fucked because of that. Chase Workman remained at their home for some time, no one's really sure why, before killing Lillian his slop at nine forty three am. So Lillian was sixty five and she was killed while she was out on her
morning walk. She was described as a true adventure courageous, generous, determined, quick witted and gave the best hugs.
Gave the best hug.
Gave the best hug. Holy shit, many people don't most people don't give very good hugs.
So this might be I don't know something that a lot of people don't really agree with me on, but I think that would be an amazing thing to have on your grave.
Gave the best hug, gave.
The best hugs.
Oh my gosh. Yeah. Wortman made his way to a home in the glen Holm area, but the residents did not answer the door and called nine to one one saying they knew the shooter. He did adventure leave, so that was good that they got away or they got you know, didn't get killed. I guess god. His next victims were Kristen Beaton and Heather O'Brien, with Wortman being back into bert If. Both of these victims, it's believed Workman pulled over their vehicles or like they were pulled
over and he stopped and then he killed them. These murders happened at about ten o eight and the police shared publicly at ten seventeen am that the gunman may have been appearing to impersonate an officer may have been Yeah, so this these two, for sure, I think you know, wouldn't have happened. Kristen worked for the Victorian Order of Nurses and had been traveling between communities to provide care for clients when she was killed in her vehicle. She was pregnant with her second child.
Holy shit.
Heather O'Brien, age fifty five, was a licensed practical nurse who also worked with the Victorian Order of Nurses, though was on her day off at the time of the murder. Her family said they would like her to be remembered for the life she lived, had not the way she died. She is defined by her caring and kind spirit, the way she always rooted for the underdog, and how beautifully she swept through this life. How you do And it's like brutal, Hey.
Yeah it is. And it's it comes down to the fact that the fucking higher ups didn't do their fucking job. All these incredible people are just becoming victims as a result because someone somewhere decided not to fucking keep the public informed.
Yeah, yeah, okay, so sorry, Well I'm just like Frank, like I I'm like one of those people that really thinks that most people try to do their best, and you know, and like I think probably most people were doing their best that day, but the wrong decision was made at some point of not releasing everything they knew.
And you know, you wonder was it out of fear that they're like, well, we don't want to put this out there and have like people fear police officers when they don't need to, but in this situation, they needed to, right.
So because someone was impersonating them, and there's there's guys out there wearing the RCMP uniform, right, and they're trying to help, they're trying to protect, they're trying to get this guy. But all it takes is one bad apple to spoil a bunch, as the saying goes, right, and if you trust the wrong officer at this important time, you get killed. You get killed. Yeah, so like fucking barricade your doors, we like, get it out there, we
will get this fucking guy. Do not trust art, don't don't let any RCNP officers into your home unless they are accompanied by more than one officer.
Yeah.
So then you can now guarantee that, yes, it is not a single person, right, if you see two officers side by side, you can trust them because they are vetted for Yeah. Yeah, but as a single officer, do not trust, do not let them in their home, do not stop.
But I mean it also could have just gone come down to like they just you know, had never experienced something like this and just weren't like trained to know what to do. But like they just think you had to have made a decision. So at ten forty nine am, Constable Chad Morrison was waiting to meet Alleague, a colleague, unaware Workman was nearby. He was expecting to meet Constable Heidi Stevenson. Morrison was hit, but thankfully he did manage
to escape. Shortly after, Workman collided head on with incoming Constable Heidi Stevenson, resulting in a deadly shootout where Stevenson unfortunately lost her life. Fuck. An innocent bystander, Joey Weber, who stopped to help, was also killed. Like he witnessed this, stopped, you know, kind of probably to help Heidi, I'm assuming, and Wortman took his life. So Workman then took the Constable's handgun and Zoe's Joey's vehicle, and he continued southward.
Constable Heidi Stevenson was remembered for her bravery and dedication to her duty. She was racing to support another officer in need when she encountered workman. At forty eight years old, she was a twenty three year veteran of the Federal Police Force, and more importantly, she was a mother of two. Joey, I don't want to say Zoe, so I don't even.
Joey, you want to say Zoe?
I do Joey thirty six years old. He was out running a family errand which, like he probably wouldn't have been running the morning of April nineteenth. He was described by a neighbor as always having a good outlook. He always had a big smile, and that can be hard to find in people. Joey missed the birth of his fourth daughter, who was born on Christmas Day twenty twenty eight months after his death.
Holy fuck, eight months after his death.
Like his wife would have just like been pregnant.
I wonder if he even knew his wife was pregnant. Yeah, eight months as a possibility, I know.
Wow, Wortman's last and final victim would be Gina Gullette at eleven o six am. Gina was fifty four years old and knew Workman through their shared profession as dentrist. She was also a two time cancer survivor and described as a vibrant, dynamic woman and proud mother who will be remembered for her kindness, generosity, and ability to light up a room. Wortman left Gina's house in her Mazda three, so like he's on his to his third vehicle now, right.
So she survived cancer twice only to have this fucking asshole killer. Wow.
I know, I'm okay, I feel like slightly terrible, but I wanted to like recognize each victim with like, you know, a little their tiny a little bit of their story, right, but it just fucking breaks your heart, like it just destroys you, no kidding, the little tidbits, like holy heck. So at eleven twenty six am, the manhunt would finally be over. Worktman stopped at the I think it's IVN
Big Stop gas station in Enfield to refuel. RCMP Emergency Response Team officers also arrived to refuel, and finally, after thirteen hours, workman's luck of dodging the police had run out, and he was shot dead.
Good.
In addition to the individuals who lost their life, many others were left physically injured and profoundly affected by the traumak his action.
No, it's right, I can only imagine. Wow. Yeah, fuck, I'm glad he was shot dead. I mean sorry, I.
Am I now well because he shouldn't.
The shit yeah he did. Holy fuck.
Yeah, I don't have it in here. I had it in here at one point. So this is a bit weird. But he had he had killed twenty two people, he'd killed two dogs as well, and like he injured numerous others, both like physically and mentally. And I think he had injured a couple other dogs as well.
Fuck.
So yeah, just like a complete piece of shit.
Wow, the definition of douche canoe really.
Yeah, yeah, I think you know. And something I did listen to, like we still have a bit more to go over here. But is it just people like something can set you off, right, And I think he was already like a pretty terrible person. And then I think COVID just like I don't know, just set them off or something right, like I don't know. I don't It's it's hard for me to understand how someone can literally just go over a thirteen hour time span and like kill twenty two people.
And not stop to think, well, yeah, like that.
It's just something like that. It's not right.
No, no, that he was not fucking right, clearly no.
In the months following the shooting, the RCMP faced criticism for their handling of the incident, particularly regarding communication with the public and response coordination. Families of the victims in the wider community demanded answers and accountability. Despite initial resistance, public pressure led to a formal public inquiry, which was known as the Mass Casualty Commission, to investigate the circumstances
of the shooting and the police response. The inquiry aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the events, the systematic issues within law enforcement, and to recommend measures to prevent
similar tragedies in the future. This process involved gathering evidence, hearing testimonies from witnesses and experts, and examining Workman's background and interactions with law enforcement meant prior to the attacks, because he did have like some prior things right and also how the fuck was he purchasing all this shit and not being flagged and stuff? Right, So, the mass shooting had a profound impact on the effected communities and Canada as a whole, and I'm probably I'm sure went
beyond Canada too, right, Oh, probably. It sparked a nationwide, nationwide story debate on several critical issues, including gun control, emergency response, mental health and domestic violence, community healing and support. So the Mass Casualty Commission's final report, titled they titled it Turning the Tide Together, was released just last year on March thirtieth, twenty twenty three, so they took some
time with this. The report provides an extensive analysis of the events surrounding the shooting and offers one hundred and thirty recommendations aimed at improving community safety and prevent similar tragedies in the future. So I'll just list some of the key findings from the report. I'm also gonna like it's like pretty hefty, right, so we'll make sure that we we link it if you are interested in learning more like feel free. But yeah, the main are the
ones I'm mentioning here are police and RCMP oversight. The report calls freaking significant changes in RCMP oversight processes and culture, emphasizing the need for increased transparency and accountability. It highlights the importance of improving critical incident response capabilities and enhancing every day policing practices.
That's pretty vague in all honesty.
Well, I mean in the report will go in depth more about correct. I feel like I take that as like, if they know stuff like this person's impersonating a police officer, though, might release it quicker than eight hours later.
Transparent. Yeah, you gotta fucking communicate. Yeah, Yeah, Like the guys on the ground, like the guys out there in their squad cars, like I have, I don't see anything wrong with what they've done. They they pounded the pavement, they're trying to fucking find this guy. They got into fucking firefights, like people lost their lives. They took him down finally after thirteen hours. Yeah, but the people behind
the computers offered no communication. They put their guys out there in a risky situation, and they let the public stay out there in a risky situation and didn't communicate those two at all. They just let them fucking go at it, And hopefully we get this guy.
M hm, Well, yeah, because there's there's obviously, like so much more that happened, like with the RCMP that I haven't mentioned, Like there was even at one point they were at a like firehouse or whatever. I think it was like a volunteer firehouse and police thought that workman was there and they were like firing, But then it came to me that they were actually just like firing at each other. So I mean, like, just I think too, if there's confusion at the top, it just like spirals down.
It does, right, it does.
Yeah, Like it's honestly seems it's I feel like I'm surprised more officers didn't get like honestly right. So the next one was violent or violence prevention. So the commission recommends addressing the root causes a violence, including gender, base and intimate partner violence. It suggests creating a new framework for tracking MASH casualties, strengthening firearm regulations, and appointing a
new gender based violence Commissioner. Okay, and something I don't have in here too, because I know, like our like Justin Trudeau after this, he like, I don't how would you word this? But he banned a lot of firearms and stuff. But the thing is is that like workman didn't even have a license and he got these anyway, right.
So well, there's a lot of controversy over that in Canada because yeah, the firearm ban and it bans the legal purchase is what it does. It bans the legal ownership. But people get it anyways if they.
Want, right, because this wouldn't have affected workmen. I don't think like he got these anyway, right yep. So community safety, the report advocates for a more collaborative model of community safety where multiple partners work together beyond just police services. It's emphasizing the need for increased mental health services, new community safety and well being laws, and promoting bystander intervention.
Public alerting and communication. Okay, so here where are? A National review of public alerting systems is recommended to ensure timely and effective communication during emergencies because the thing I just thought of too, like there's we get texts say in BC or whatever if like a child is missing, Amber learned right, Yeah, and they do release that before they probably have all the details because they're like, holy shit, we got to like get this kid, and they know,
like the quicker they put this out like, the longer the kid's missing, the chances of finding the kids decreases, right, And so they put that out there without like really thinking it through. I think, right and having all the information.
There's a standard that's been set. Yeah, you need to follow that standard, and that standard should go across the board in any situation, not like there's a public safety issue. That public safety issue, no matter the situation should be followed. A specific standard of regulations and legislation and steps need to be followed.
And I did read something too. I think the police with Twitter or tweeter or whatever x was, they were kind of hoping that the media would take it upon themselves to be spreading things.
But the thing is that's not their fuck, it's.
Still the same. The way that they could have gone out there the most was literally if they just did an alert on people's phones.
Right, or maybe they contact the media. Sorry, I didn't mean to drop to you.
I don't know. So yeah, I do think like there was a bit of backpedaling. That is.
That that's gross negligence, is what that is? Oh, the media will pick it up and spread it for us. No, that is that is gross negligence. On that department in the RCMP to say, uh, they'll just do it for us. No, that's your fucking job.
And no, okay, And the last one I was going to touch on was ongoing accountability. The report calls for an implementation and mutual accountability body to oversee the progress of the recommendations and ensure all levels of government, RCMP and organizations are being held accountable. But yeah, so that's the case of the Nova Scotia mass shooting.
I'm assuming no one was no one in the RCMP was fined or saw jail time as a result.
Okay, No, I think yes. So I believe that victims had sued workmen like his estate and stuff because I said he was a well off, and I believe that they did. Also there was a lawsuit against the RCMP, but I'm not sure if they if it hasn't been released what happened yet, or if I just didn't come across that, okay, because mostly what I came across was like this mass casually commissions, like final report, right, because.
Within that report, I'm surprised that like, and I have to clarify this, like my knowledge is within the province of British Columbia. So I don't know if it applies a little bit differently within other provinces like Nova Scotia or anything like that, but there is something with gross
negligence in regards to safety. If someone is found grossly negligent, they can be fined, and I believe their first incident is up to one hundred thousand dollars or a year in jail with and that's work safe So that's usually employees and stuff like if an employee gets injured. But I'm pretty sure since this is a public servant and this is like their job is to look after the public, it should apply in a similar situation. So someone to say, hey,
you know what, news sources are going to pick it up. Hey, we'll just post on Twitter tomorrow morning and see what happened. That's gross negligence. And I'm surprised no one had to suffer any repercussions for that gross negligence.
Yeah, I know, because I don't now that. I'm just like thinking, I know that I saw the lawsuits, but I never really saw what the outcome of them were, and it could be even something that they're like hiding because I know in this case there was a lot of things they didn't even like they did the inquiry and stuff that they did. They didn't even want that to be public, but there was just so much heat
on them that it ended up having to be. So Yeah, I could been even something that they they don't release right, or.
They could be dragging it out and it could still be going on in all honesty. Yeah, yeah, so that's fucked. I don't know.
Yeah, the whole case is just like a basket of shit.
Yeah, it's a basket of upper management ship. The bed is what it is. The shitty poutine, it's a shitty poutine. We're Canadian. We say poutin putin pin now we even so do I know it's pronounced poutin. I know that because it's French. But I also don't say croissant. I say croissant, you know. Yeah, so it's I say poutine unless I really want to get fancy and show off, then I will flex my potin.
Yeah, it's just so unfortunate how long it went on and how many people lost their lives, and in these like such small communities too that I feel like, you know, bigger centers and cities and stuff, shit happens all the time. Yeah, And I don't know, I'm not saying like it's easier to get over anything, but I just feel like it might hit a bit more in these communities because, for example,
like Vancouver, look at how many shit things happen in there. Right, But if we're to google port a pic, this is gonna come up, right Yeah. So I mean you google Vancouver, not all the shit that happens to Vancouver comes up. So it overtakes almost like these small rural communities.
Well, and we don't expect these things to happen in these rural communities, right, Yeah, a lot of people moved these communities to get away from crime rates. Look at the story of j. C. Duger that we just covered recently. Yeah, her family moved to this area to a nice safe area to bring up the family, and then jac gets kidnapped and fucking held camped it for eighteen years.
Like what?
Yeah, the entire point was to be safer, and now you have this big old fucking stain on this little perfect community that was once a haven for so many people. Oh.
I know, anyway, I think we really need a like day after this one.
Eh, Yeah, no kidding, I'm wishing I had some stuff to put in my coffee right now.
We actually even had that forever.
No, we haven't had Irish cream for a long time. I don't know why you finished it off, and I was just like, well, I'm not going to get it anymore because I was drinking it too much, too well.
I was really drinking there, Yeah you were. I don't even have about chocolate right now because it was like so nice. I don't drink coffee, so I have chocolate with carolines. But also that's like starting your day with three inner calories, which is probably not a good thing.
So yeah, no, I made myself a rule. I wasn't allowed Irish cream unless it was the weekends. Yeah yeah, okay, well, good job on that. Thank you very much for making me angered at the upper management system once again in another freaking way, because people just shit the bed and let that shit roll downhill and it affects people and they don't really think about it or care. So cool.
Thanks, Well, we can only hope that they care. Maybe they just made a mistake that they're very much so paying for now.
I know there's at least one person out there who is responsible for the way this shit played out because because they are the ones who made the fucking call. And I hope they fucking know what the results were of their decision. And I hope they hope that fucking haunts them for the rest of their life. I'm sure it would fucking better. Yeah, And I hope that they pay for it in not necessarily jail time, but monetary as well, you know, get fined or go to jail.
I hope something fucking comes of it, and I hope.
It fucking haunts well, maybe they lost their job or something.
Right, Oh no, you.
Know, Oh my gosh, Okay, we got to losing your.
Job, it's nothing compared to people losing their fucking life and.
Is now going on a round page. We got we gotta piece out here.
Sorry, I'm angry, You're very angry. We're very fucking angry. Very That was my fucking job before, is going through safety and regulations and looking after the ship. And I've seen how people don't care, and so that's all I see in the situation again, is upper management not giving a fuck.
We live in a world. If it doesn't affect them personally, it's not important, you know, exactly.
So sorry, I'm I'm done ranting, done raving.
Maybe we're gonna go get Ben and Margarita here.
Maybe maybe we will Margarita and a mimosa. I'll double fist.
Yeah, yeah, we should put a photo on Patreon Ben on the beach like that.
Eh maybe? Okay, Well, sorry, thank you you did an amazing job. Are you gonna do the whole spiel on things below and links and stuff I can? Yeah, got it?
You got first of all, like, thank you for being here, regardless how you're supporting us. We really do appreciate it.
We do.
But yeah, we have Instagram where I'm sure I'll post a photo to about this case we have do we have X? We have X, but we're not active on there. We have Facebook. You can contact us via email and if you'd like to sign up as a patron, we really appreciate that. Yeah, and you know, maybe later I'll post a photo of Ben double fisting.
Maybe maybe. I probably gotta drive though, so I doubt I'll be double fisting, but we'll see. But yeah, all the links are in the description of the podcast, so feel free to go check them out.
Yeah, and until next time.
Until next time, stay wicked.