HALIFAX 鈥� A close relative of the man who disguised himself as a Mountie and fatally shot 22 people in Nova Scotia says the killer was a lifelong scammer and opportunist raised in a deeply dysfunctional family, newly released documents say.
Chris Wortman, a former Mountie who was the gunman鈥檚 uncle, told police soon after the killings in April 2020 that he wasn鈥檛 surprised when he learned his nephew, Gabriel Wortman, was responsible for sa国际传媒鈥檚 worst mass shooting.
鈥淚 knew he was always capable of killing somebody or (causing) serious harm,鈥� he told RCMP Sgt. Cory Kilborn during an interview in Invermere, sa国际传媒, on April 28, 2020 鈥� nine days after the killings.
鈥淚 always thought, well maybe (he would kill) his parents or maybe (Lisa Banfield, his common-law wife) 鈥� I just didn鈥檛 think he鈥檇 go on a rampage.鈥�
The federal-provincial inquiry investigating the tragedy released the documents on Friday. Its public hearings, which started last month, have been adjourned until March 28.
During the police interview, Chris Wortman said he was about seven years older than his nephew, and he recalled how the pair practically grew up together in eastern New Brunswick.
鈥淗e was always kind of a strange little guy, never known to have a friend,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e had a difficult upbringing 鈥�. (His parents), they鈥檙e very bizarre, very strange. And, as a result, Gabriel was, too 鈥� There鈥檚 a lot of dysfunction.鈥�
The former Mountie confirmed an ugly story that Lisa Banfield shared with police after the killings, saying he recalled how Gabriel鈥檚 father had once placed a .22-calibre gun in his seven-year-old son鈥檚 hand and told him: 鈥淪hoot me!鈥�
鈥淕abriel didn鈥檛 fall far from the 鈥� tree,鈥� he said. 鈥淵eah, he鈥檚 like that for a reason.鈥�
As well, he said he was aware of Gabriel Wortman鈥檚 previous plans to kill his parents, which weren鈥檛 carried out, and his severe beating of his father during a trip to the Dominican Republic years ago.
Chris Wortman said his nephew was estranged from the rest of his family and didn鈥檛 have any friends, though he was 鈥済ood with people鈥� and had made a small fortune as a denturist in Dartmouth, N.S.
But he also corroborated published reports suggesting his nephew was a low-level 鈥渃areer criminal鈥� who sold smuggled U.S. cigarettes and alcohol to pay for his education, but was never caught. He said he learned of the crime after he retired from the national police force.
The former RCMP officer said he had visited his nephew and his longtime girlfriend several times when he and his wife were living in P.E.I., between 2014 and 2018, but he said the couple decided to leave the region to avoid ongoing family infighting.
鈥淚 was the only one he associated with, and then when he and I went flat, he had nobody,鈥� he said, adding that Gabriel Wortman had not spoken to his parents for the past six or seven years.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just my sixth sense 鈥� that spider sense of a police officer. I just knew that I had to get my distance.鈥�
He recalled how his nephew鈥檚 mother once showed up at the denture clinic, where she asked her son to fix her dentures. 鈥淗e said, 鈥業鈥檒l do it, (but) after that I never want to see you again,'鈥� Chris Wortman said in the police interview.
Asked by Kilborn if he had been following news about the killings, Chris Wortman said he was aware of what had happened, including reports that his nephew had set fire to several homes in Portapique, N.S., after killing 13 people there.
鈥淚 thought that鈥檚 totally him,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just know how he plans things and how meticulous and thorough he would be ... It just seems like 鈥� he was finalizing everything.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2022.
Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press
