On Saturday, April 18, 2020 communities everywhere were on lock down to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the quiet, coastal town of Portapique, Nova Scotia, Canada.

But a 51-year-old denturist with a violent past named Gabriel Wortman was about to shatter that peace. On that night, he began a 13-hour shooting spree that would leave 22 innocent people dead at 16 different crime scenes across the province.

What started with an argument between Wortman and his long-time partner escalated quickly. Unimaginable devastation followed. When police arrived, several homes were burning and gunshots were ringing out.

Some police officers have described what they found when they arrived as “a war zone.”

But the terror and the true impact of his crimes were only just beginning.

We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours

Instagram: @13hourspodcast

Email: 13hours@curiouscast.ca

Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Shattered Quiet |1

Canada’s worst shooting spree in modern history has left us with far more questions than answers. Journey inside every single hour of this tragedy as it happened with Global News Halifax reporter Sarah Ritchie. This 13-part true crime series will try to piece together exactly what happened and what could or should have been done to prevent it.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

News

Documentary

True crime

The 13 Hours team brings you an update on what’s happened since the series wrapped in April. A local magazine has been publishing leaked information that some say may have come from a source inside the RCMP. That includes audio of 911 calls made by some of the first victims of the killing spree, who told dispatchers that a man driving a police car was murdering people in Portapique on the night of April 18, 2020.

Meanwhile the public inquiry has started its work, but there are already questions being raised about who the RCMP has hired to provide information to the mass casualty commission.

We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours

Instagram: @13hourspodcast

Email: 13hours@curiouscast.ca

Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 2021 Update

Introducing Episode 1 of China Rising - Hostage Diplomacy

On the first episode of China Rising, we examine  the Chinese government's practice of detaining political prisoners, by hearing directly from Canadians who've become caught in the crossfire. Christian aid workers Julia and Kevin Garratt lived in China for 30 years before their arrest in 2014, when they were suddenly cast as pawns in a geopolitical chess match. The Garratts’ traumatic experience is eerily similar to the case of the 'Two Michaels,' Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, detained in China since December 2018. Using their stories and others as a guide, we'll investigate how Western countries, including Canada, should respond to China's so-called 'Hostage Diplomacy.'

You can listen to more episodes here: https://link.chtbl.com/china-rising
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing... China Rising

In this final episode, the gunman is killed in a chance encounter with police at a gas station, ending 13 hours of horror in Nova Scotia. 

But this story begins decades before April 18, 2020. Family members describe a pattern of abuse in the Wortman family going back generations. And experts say there are links between childhood maltreatment and violence.

In fact, a history of childhood abuse and neglect is very common among mass shooters in the United States. It’s one of four commonalities that researchers call the pathway to violence. Experts say ending the cycle of violence for good is one way we can prevent mass shootings from happening. 

We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours

Instagram: @13hourspodcast

Email: 13hours@curiouscast.ca

Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pathway to Murder | 13

Episode 12 begins with the story of the final hour of the killing spree, and the gunman’s final victim. A mysterious phone call alerted Gina Goulet’s daughter that something was wrong on the morning of April 19, 2020.
In this episode, we explore how the families of the victims are fighting for transparency and accountability, nearly a year after the shootings happened. They’re planning to sue the gunman’s estate, the government and the RCMP. And the families were key to ensuring that government called a public inquiry into the killing spree.
The inquiry will explore what happened and why, with a focus on the actions of the gunman and the police response. It will also consider the impact of gender-based violence and domestic violence, which experts say is key to understanding.
We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours
Instagram: @13hourspodcast
Email: 13hours@curiouscast.ca
Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In The Dark | 12

This episode picks up the gunman’s movements through central Nova Scotia on the morning of April 19, 2020, as he drove toward Halifax.
A chance encounter put him in the paths of two RCMP officers. Constables Chad Morrison and Heidi Stevenson were planning to meet on the side of the road near Shubenacadie, unaware the gunman was nearby.
The gunman shot Chad, and then collided with Heidi’s car. He shot and killed her before murdering Joey Webber, who stopped to help. Then he stole Joey’s vehicle and drove away.
In this episode, we learn about other shootings in recent years in which RCMP members have been killed. Experts say the force is slow to change, and question whether it’s time for provinces and municipalities to create their own police forces instead of contracting the RCMP.
We have much more on our website, including articles, maps, and photos: globalnews.ca/13hours
Instagram: @13hourspodcast
Email: 13hours@curiouscast.ca
Twitter: @SarahRitchieTV; @alexandrakress
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Shattered Quiet |1

Download our free app to listen on your phone