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Victims of Nova Scotia mass shooting remembered

By Daniel Uria & Darryl Coote & Jean Lotus
Const. Heidi Stevenson was one of 16 people killed during a shooting rampage in Nova Scotia. Photo courtesy of Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Nova Scotia/Facebook
1 of 2 | Const. Heidi Stevenson was one of 16 people killed during a shooting rampage in Nova Scotia. Photo courtesy of Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Nova Scotia/Facebook

April 19 (UPI) -- Some of the victims killed in a mass-shooting in Nova Scotia were remembered Monday after a man impersonating a police officer killed 19 people during a 12-hour shooting rampage that spanned miles.

Heidi Stevenson, RCMP

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Among the dead was Heidi Stevenson, a 23-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who was killed by the gunman during an altercation that ended in a gun battle at an Enfield, N.S. gas station.

"Heidi answered the call of duty and lost her life while protecting those she served," wrote RCMP assistant commissioner Lee Bergerman on Facebook.

"Earlier this afternoon, I met with Heidi's family and there are no words to describe their pain. Two children have lost their mother and a husband his wife. Parents lost their daughter and countless others lost an incredible friend and colleague."

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The suspect, identified as Gabriel Wortman, 51, who was wearing a Mountie uniform, was also killed, police said. Authorities said it is the worst mass shooting in Canadian history.

Family of 3

A Portapique family of three, Aaron Tuck, 45, Jolene Oliver, 40, a former waitress from Calgary, and daughter Emily Tuck, 17, were remembered as recent residents who had moved to be closer to a grandmother.

Emily was a violinist and would help her father, Aaron, an auto mechanic, fix cars in the garage, her aunt told CBCNews.

"She knew everything underneath the hood," said Tammy Oliver-McCurdie. "She didn't even get to live her life. She had so much potential ... so much love, so, smart, so caring, so humble." Family members started a GoFundMe page to pay for the burials.

Elementary teacher

Shooting victim and mother of two, Lisa McCully taught elementary school, the Nova Scotia Teachers Union said Sunday.

"[Our] hearts are broken along with those of her colleagues and students at Debert Elementary, as well as her family and friends who knew her not only as a passionate teacher but as a shining love in their lives," Paul Wozney, union president wrote on Facebook.

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Two nurses

Two nurses were identified as victims by the Victorian Order of Nurses in a statement released Monday.

"All of our frontline care providers are heroes," the statement said.

"Yesterday, two of those heroes, Heather O'Brien and Kristen Beaton, were taken from their families, and from VON. We mourn their loss, and we mourn for their families."

O'Brien, a wife, mother and grandmother, was a licensed practical nurse for nearly 17 years, the organization said.

Beaton, a young wife and mother, worked for six years as a continuing care assistant, the nursing agency said.

Married couple

Greg and Jamie Blair were confirmed by CBCNews to be among the victims. Greg Blair worked at a gas company and the two were parents of young children.

"Two beautiful souls were lost today ... and many more," family member Jessica MacBurnie wrote on Facebook. "I have absolutely no words for the heartache my family & many others are going through."

Corrections employees and passerby

Sean McLeod and Alanna Jenkins worked for Correctional Service Canada and lived together in West Wentworth, about 31 miles north of Portapique. The couple was found dead in their home, which exploded.

A neighbor called 911 after hearing gunshots Sunday morning and reported that the home was on fire.

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Tom Bagley, a neighbor was shot and killed when he passed by the scene Sunday morning.

"He was the type of person who would have run to help," neighbor Darrol Thurier told the local Chronicle Herald.

RCMP first reported an active shooter situation in Portapique at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, urging residents to remain inside their homes and lock their doors.

RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said officers responded to a call, discovering "several casualties inside and outside the home," spurring a search for the missing suspect, later identified as Wortman.

Police said Wortman was driving a vehicle resembling an RCMP cruiser and wearing an RCMP uniform.

The manhunt ended at around 11:40 a.m. Sunday in Enfield, about 60 miles south of Portapique.

In a statement, the Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team said that there was a "confrontation" with the suspect in Enfield, resulting in police discharging their weapons and killing Wortman.

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki told CBC News that she believes there was "an initial motivation" behind the shooting that then "turned to randomness."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement that he spoke with Lucki and Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil to offer his condolences on behalf of the government.

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"The people of Nova Scotia are strong and resilient, and we will be here to support them as they heal from this tragedy," he said.

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