HALIFAX—The public inquiry into Nova Scotia’s mass shooting is continuing today, with evidence expected to detail how police first responded to the killings in Portapique, N.S.
Michael MacDonald, the commission’s chairman, reminded the public in his opening remarks that the federal-provincial probe is at the stage of trying to confirm the facts of what happened on April 18-19, 2020, and it’s likely that participants in the inquiry will have further questions.
The hearings have already confirmed the killer drove a replica RCMP vehicle and was wearing a Mountie’s uniform when he began his rampage in Portapique, where he killed 13 people before carrying on the next day to kill nine more people in three other communities.
The commission’s opening “foundational document” released on Monday said it’s probable that the gunman escaped on a dirt road through a blueberry field sometime between 10:41 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. on the first night.
Evidence has also shown that the first 911 call came from a woman just before she was murdered in Portapique at 10:04 p.m., and she told the operator that the killer was driving a police car.
The morning proceedings at the inquiry focused on a detailed, technical presentation of how the 911 system and the police dispatch system work.
