Senior Mounties involved in N.S. mass shooting response either retired or in new jobs | 24CA News

As a public inquiry prepares for the discharge of its remaining report into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass taking pictures, its findings are positive to refocus the highlight on the RCMP’s problem-plagued response to the 13-hour rampage that claimed 22 lives.

Almost three years after a person disguised as a Mountie began murdering individuals in Portapique, N.S., on the evening of April 18, 2020, the senior RCMP officers and workers concerned within the tragic case have all both retired or moved into new jobs.

Christopher Schneider, a sociology professor at Brandon University in Manitoba, says there’s no assure the inquiry’s findings may have a lot affect on the RCMP’s senior ranks.

“Police accountability is not easily realized, even in the most grave of circumstances,” mentioned Schneider, who has revealed extensively on policing points.

“Given how grave it was and how many people lost their lives … the RCMP could have, at the very least, demoted or meted out some sort of punishment to show the public that they were taking it seriously.”

The fee of inquiry, which began public hearings in February 2022, is scheduled to launch its remaining reviews and proposals on Thursday.

The following is a recounting of the roles performed in April 2020 by senior RCMP officers and workers, and a take a look at the place they’ve ended up.

Commissioner Brenda Lucki, RCMP commanding officer

Then: As the pinnacle of the nationwide police power, Lucki attracted nationwide consideration on April 19, 2020, when she upstaged junior officers in Nova Scotia by revealing that no less than 17 individuals had been killed by the lone gunman — a quantity that was considerably increased than police had first confirmed.

At the time, the Mounties in Nova Scotia had informed the general public that “in excess of 10” had been killed, although senior officers knew the rising loss of life toll stood at 17.

Lucki was again within the highlight final June when the inquiry launched notes from an inner RCMP assembly on April 28, 2020. The handwritten pages from RCMP Supt. Darren Campbell mentioned Lucki had promised the prime minister that the RCMP would launch descriptions of the weapons utilized by the killer as a result of the data “was tied to pending gun control legislation.”

Critics accused Lucki of interfering in a police investigation, however the commissioner denied the allegation.

On Aug. 25, Lucki apologized for the RCMP’s failure to satisfy public expectations throughout and after the mass taking pictures.

“I don’t think we were what you wanted us to be or what you needed us to be,” Lucki mentioned close to the top of her second day of testimony earlier than the inquiry.

Where is she now? Lucki retired on March 17.

Assistant commissioner Lee Bergerman, RCMP commanding officer in Nova Scotia

Then: Bergerman was the primary Mountie to talk to the general public concerning the rampage throughout a televised news convention on April 19, 2020. During her two-minute assertion, Bergerman mentioned:

“Today is a devastating day for Nova Scotia and it will remain etched in the minds of many for years to come. What has unfolded overnight and into this morning, is incomprehensible and many families are experiencing the loss of a loved one.”

In July 2021, Bergerman discovered herself below scrutiny for a potential battle of curiosity after her husband, retired RCMP workers sergeant Mike Butcher, was pressured to resign from an inner RCMP staff tasked with offering info to the inquiry.

On Aug. 23, 2022, Bergerman informed the inquiry the RCMP ought to talk higher with the general public and be taught extra concerning the communities it’s policing.

During her testimony, she mentioned she was conscious some senior officers in Nova Scotia complained about her efficiency following the taking pictures rampage.

Her response? “I completely disagreed with them.”

Where is she now? Bergerman retired from the RCMP in October 2021 after serving 35 years as a Mountie.

Chief Supt. Chris Leather, Nova Scotia RCMP legal operations officer

Then: Leather stood beside Bergerman when the Mounties held their first news convention after the bloodbath. He fielded questions from journalists that evening and over the following few days. But the inquiry decided that the RCMP’s preliminary statements to the general public had been riddled with errors, confusion and omissions.

It was Leather who informed Canadians that “in excess of 10” individuals had died by the hands of the gunman, although the RCMP knew the precise quantity at the moment was 17.

“There were a number of questions I wasn’t prepared for … having the limited experience I had in those types of scenarios,” he informed the inquiry on July 27, 2022. “That’s what led to some of the incorrect accounting. I’ll say it right now: obviously I missed the mark on more than a couple occasions.”

For days, Leather and different senior Mounties withheld different key info from the general public, together with the victims’ names and primary particulars relating to the weapons utilized by the killer _ info that senior Mounties in Ottawa had requested to be launched.

Where is he now? Leather turned interim commander of the Nova Scotia RCMP after Bergerman left, however he returned to his earlier place in May 2022. Three months later, he joined a federal policing modernization staff at RCMP headquarters in Ottawa.

Supt. Darren Campbell, Nova Scotia RCMP officer accountable for help providers

Then: After Leather’s shaky efficiency earlier than the cameras, Campbell was tasked with dealing with the RCMP’s news conferences.

As the general public face of the RCMP, Campbell was much less gaffe-prone, however he would finally come below intense scrutiny over 4 pages of handwritten notes he wrote in the course of the tense assembly on April 28, 2020 — 9 days after the mass killing.

The notes sparked controversy in Ottawa, the place the opposition Tories and New Democrats accused the governing Liberals of interfering in a police investigation for political achieve _ assertions denied by the federal government and Lucki.

As he concluded his testimony earlier than the inquiry, Campbell addressed the victims’ households.

“I apologize for failing,” he mentioned, drawing a deep breath and sobbing. “I haven’t cried for two and a half years, and I’m truly sorry that we failed you. And I promise that we’ll do better.”

Where is he now? Campbell was promoted to chief superintendent final 12 months. He is now the legal operations officer with the New Brunswick RCMP.

Lia Scanlan, Nova Scotia RCMP director of strategic communications

Then: Scanlan was accountable for how the RCMP communicated with the general public throughout and after the mass taking pictures.

During her testimony earlier than the inquiry, she broke down in tears as she admitted that the unclear practices her staff used to alert the general public led to confusion and essential delays.

She confirmed that the RCMP’s first tweet concerning the occasions in Portapique, N.S., on the evening of April 18, 2020, was inaccurate, because it described what was taking place as a “firearms complaint,” although the Mounties had been conscious no less than three individuals had been shot to loss of life.

Scanlan additionally confirmed there have been unacceptable delays in alerting the general public to the truth that the killer was driving a automotive that appeared precisely like a marked RCMP cruiser.

“Just know that, if I could go back and have those minutes disappear, I would do anything,” Scanlan mentioned when requested if something must be modified to forestall such delays. “I just need people to know that. And we’ll do better.”

Where is she now? Scanlan assumed the function of strategic adviser to the commanding officer of the Nova Scotia RCMP in January 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed March 28, 2023.