An elementary school teacher, two health-care workers, a family of three and an RCMP officer have been identified as among the 22 victims who died in this weekend’s shooting rampage in rural Nova Scotia, one of the worst mass killings in Canadian history.
An elementary school teacher, two health-care workers, a family of three and an RCMP officer have been identified as among the 22 victims who died in this weekend’s shootings in rural Nova Scotia, one of the worst mass killings in Canadian history.
The victims were killed during a 12-hour rampage that began late Saturday in the small community of Portapique, with the gunman then moving through other communities in the area. He was killed after being intercepted by officers about 90 kilometres away in Enfield, north of Halifax.
RCMP have not named any victims. CBC is working to identify victims through family, friends and official sources while trying to ensure next of kin have been notified before publishing their names.
Here are profiles of some of the victims. CBC News will continue to update this file as more information becomes available.
If you want to share your memories of someone who lost their life in this tragedy, email cbcns@cbc.ca.
Gina Goulet
Gina Goulet, a 54-year-old in Shubenacadie, N.S., battled cancer twice before her life was taken on Sunday, her daughter Amelia Butler said.
Goulet worked as a denturist for 27 years, but Butler couldn’t say whether she had encountered the shooter, who worked in the same field.
Elizabeth Joanne Thomas and John Joseph Zahl
Elizabeth Joanne Thomas and John Joseph Zahl are presumed dead.
They moved to Portapique for retirement in 2017 from Albuquerque, N.M., their son Justin Zahl said.
He said his father, in his late 60s, was a veteran of the U.S. navy, and his mother, in her late 50s, was originally from Winnipeg.
Zahl, 22, said his parents had adopted him and his younger brother, and John had other children from a previous marriage.
He said police told him his parents’ log house on Portapique Beach Road had burned down, but could not confirm whether his parents were inside. He was told to expect the worst.
Corrie Ellison
Corrie Ellison, 42, was remembered Monday as a thoughtful, kind friend who went out of his way to help others.
“He’s the type of person that I don’t think anybody would want to see that happen to him,” his father Richard Ellison said.
Corrie Ellison lived in Truro, N.S., but was visiting his father in Portapique when he was killed. Richard Ellison declined to comment on how his son died.
Ashley Fennell said she was good friends with Corrie Ellison for almost a decade. She described him as “a beautiful soul.”
Corrie Ellison was on disability support because of an old injury. He had no children of his own but he loved kids, Fennell said.
“He was just such a nice guy,” she said.
Dawn Madsen and Frank Gulenchyn
The wife and husband were long-time residents of the Durham region in southern Ontario, according to a news release from the Regional Municipality of Durham.
Dawn Madsen was an employee at Hillsdale Terraces long-term care home for decades and retired in 2019. No information was shared about her husband, Frank Gulenchyn.
“Our hearts go out to their family and all families affected by this senseless tragedy,” said the release.
Aaron Tuck, Jolene Oliver and Emily Tuck
Jolene Oliver, 40, was originally from Calgary, according to her sister, Tammy Oliver-McCurdie. She met 45-year-old Aaron Tuck, a mechanic, while working as a waitress in Alberta.
The couple and their 17-year-old daughter, Emily Tuck, moved to Nova Scotia two years ago to be closer to Aaron Tuck’s mother, who was sick. They lived in Portapique.
Oliver-McCurdie said Emily was a musician who played the violin. She was trying to choose between music and welding for her post-secondary education. From a young age, Emily would be in the garage with her father, helping him fix cars, according to Oliver-McCurdie.
“She knew everything underneath the hood,” said Oliver-McCurdie, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. “She didn’t even get to live her life. She had so much potential … so much love, so, smart, so caring, so humble.”
Oliver-McCurdie said family was very important to her sister. She said she fell in love with life in Portapique.
WATCH | Emily Tuck plays violin for her father in a video posted on Facebook:
Emily Tuck, 17, was one of the victims of a deadly shooting rampage in N.S. She and her parents were found dead in their Portapique home. This is the final video posted of her online. 2:21
Sean McLeod
Sean McLeod was a Correctional Service Canada manager at Springhill Institution, a federal prison in Springhill, N.S. He lived in West Wentworth, a community roughly 50 kilometres north of Portapique.
He was living with fellow Correctional Service Canada manager Alanna Jenkins at 2328 Hunter Rd.
McLeod’s daughter, Taylor Andrews, said the couple was always welcoming people into their home, and it’s where she’d spend the majority of the summer.
“They would have done anything for anybody, not thought twice about it. They just loved to help people any way that they could,” Andrews told CBC’s Mainstreet.
In a statement on Tuesday night, the Correctional Service of Canada Minister Bill Blair said Jenkins and McLeod worked hard to protect their communities and inmates under their care.
“Alanna and Sean will be remembered for their commitment to public safety. They will be greatly missed by those who worked alongside them, and the friends and family who loved them,” the statement said.
