Nova Scotia’s RCMP are being accused of a series of crucial failings and mistakes in their response to April’s deadly massacre in northern Nova Scotia as part of a proposed class-action lawsuit.
Among the allegations made against the national police force is that it returned a victim’s car to her family with human remains and bullet casings still inside the vehicle.
The suit initiated by family members of some of the gunman’s victims alleges that the RCMP failed in their duty to protect the safety and security of the public during the 13-hour shooting rampage in Colchester County on April 18 and 19.
The suit further takes the RCMP to task for their handling of the investigation after the fact, claiming the police force “handled the Spree and its aftermath in a high-handed, self-serving and disrespectful manner.”
A claim filed to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia this week, naming Tyler Blair and Andrew O’Brien as representative plaintiffs, alleges, among other things:
That the RCMP failed to investigate reports prior to the shootings that the gunman possessed illegal weapons, that he was physically abusive to women and that he had said he wished to harm police officers;
That the Mounties failed to adequately secure the perimeter of the scene of the initial shooting in Portapique, allowing the gunman to escape;
That the RCMP failed to accept and act on credible information, including a witness who had been shot by the gunman, who told police the gunman was driving a replica police car;
