Videos of RCMP officers killing Nova Scotia mass shooter released

The decision reverses their previous decision to shield the videos from publication

CITYnews halifax \ Canadian Press

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WARNING: The following story may contain details some will find disturbing.

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TRURO, N.S. — Videos of Nova Scotia RCMP officers fatally shooting the perpetrator of one of the worst mass killings in Canadian history have been released to the public.

The decision today from the commissioners of a public inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting reverses their previous decision to shield the videos from publication.

The five videos from various security cameras at an Irving Big Stop gas station in Enfield, N.S. were recorded when RCMP officers killed the gunman, ending a 13-hour rampage that claimed 22 lives.

The decision says some videos show the perpetrator being fatally shot and then taken out of the stolen car he was driving, and others show the car windows shattering as they’re hit by bullets fired by two RCMP officers at the scene.

It says the videos will be posted to the Mass Casualty Commission’s website with a warning about what they depict.

The commissioners say they initially decided to post only stills from the footage because of its potential to re-traumatize those affected by the mass shooting, but several media outlets challenged the decision.

“We urge the public to bear in mind that every time the photographs and videos associated with the mass casualty are discussed or reported upon in a public forum, the people depicted, and their families, are affected, and for some it is retraumatizing,” the decision says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2022.

The Canadian Press