13 hours inside the nova scotia massacre by Curiouscast
Last Updated: June 12, 2026
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.
Listen Next - Global National with Dawna Friesen | Liberals win another minority government; Poilievre loses seat; NDP's big losses
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The challenges ahead for Prime Minister Mark Carney as the Liberals win another minority government. What's next for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre after he lost his own riding? How the NDP lost official party status and its leader. Plus, the hopes the Liberals can reset relations with the Prairies.
Listen Next - Global National with Dawna Friesen | Trump's threats against Canada re-emerge days before federal election
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Liberal Leader Mark Carney confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump brought up the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state during the pair's only phone call since Carney became prime minister. We look at how Carney isn't concerned by Trump's threat, and how other federal party leaders are reacting, as Trump's spectre re-emerges on the campaign trail just days before the election.
Listen Next - Global National with Dawna Friesen | Arctic sovereignty and security under threat; Like a good neighbour, Yukon is there
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The Canadian territories have long been aware of the importance of Canada's Arctic sovereignty and security. Now the rest of the country is starting to pay attention, too. Dawna Friesen reports from Whitehorse on how Russia and China's increased Arctic presence, as well as the unreliability of the U.S., has thrust Canada's North into the geopolitical spotlight. She also speaks with Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai about what he wants Ottawa to do. And Dawna drives across the border to Skagway, Alaska, where she speaks with residents about the importance of a strong Canada-U.S. relationship, and hears what...
Listen Next: Global National with Dawna Friesen | Canada exempt from U.S. ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs; Remembering Val Kilmer
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U.S. President Donald Trump unveils his new, wide-ranging, reciprocal tariffs. Which countries are getting hit the hardest; why Canada is not on the list, and what that might mean; how Canada is reacting; and what the auto sector and beef producers are afraid of losing in this trade war. Plus, from portraying Jim Morrison to Batman and Iceman, we'll reflect on the extraordinary legacy of Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood's greatest leading men.
Listen Next: Global National with Dawna Friesen | Canada's 45th federal election kicks off
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Canada’s 45th general election is officially underway. In five weeks voters will head to the polls to decide who will be the next prime minister. Liberal Leader Mark Carney is calling for a “strong, positive mandate” to take on U.S. President Donald Trump. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says a Tory government will be “respectful and firm” when standing up to Trump. The NDP, meanwhile, kicked off a campaign that is likely to be critical for Jagmeet Singh’s party and the Bloc Quebecois are also facing unexpected headwinds.
Listen Next: Global National with Dawna Friesen | Trudeau says Trump's tariffs are 'very dumb' as trade war begins
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The frustration of both Canadians and Americans as U.S. President Donald Trump officially launches his trade war; and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's tough words for Trump. The fears among auto, steel, and aluminum companies. How Canadians are uniting as they fight the tariffs. Plus, how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to salvage his relationship with Trump after that infamous Oval Office shouting match.
Listen Next: A Most Audacious Heist - Shoot For The Moon | 01
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It’s a summer night in 1998. Vienna, Austria. And petty thief Daniel Blanchard is about to carry out the heist of a lifetime. Stealing a crown jewel. The last remaining diamond Sisi Star.
July 2021 Update
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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.
Introducing... China Rising
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Introducing Episode 1 of China Rising - Hostage Diplomacy
The Pathway to Murder | 13
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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.
In The Dark | 12
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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.
Collision Course | 11
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This episode picks up the gunman’s movements through central Nova Scotia on the morning of April 19, 2020, as he drove toward Halifax.
Breaking News: SIRT Report Released
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Nova Scotia’s independent police watchdog, the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), has concluded two RCMP officers who shot at the fire hall in Lower Onslow, N.S., during the manhunt for Gabriel Wortman should not face criminal charges.
Friendly Fire | 10
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On the morning of April 19, 2020, Greg Muise and Darrell Currie were preparing the Onslow Belmont Fire Brigade to help evacuees from Portapique, N.S. Suddenly, shots rang out and bullets sprayed the building, forcing them and others to run for cover.
Too Little Too Late | 9
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At 8:02 AM, Nova Scotia RCMP Tweeted that they were responding to an “active shooter situation” in Portapique. Five minutes later, they told other police forces they were searching for Gabriel Wortman, who was wanted for homicide and considered armed and dangerous. The police bulletin said he may be driving a fully marked RCMP cruiser and “could be anywhere in the province.”
Daybreak | 8
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In this episode, we hear from police on scene in Portapique for the first time through recently uncovered recordings of their radio communications. The recordings show police were having communication issues and navigation issues as they searched for the gunman in the early morning on April 19, 2020.
Origins | 7
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This episode begins more than a decade before the events of April 18 and 19, 2020, when the gunman travelled to Fredericton, New Brunswick to clean out the apartment of his "dear friend," Tom Evans.
Communication Breakdown | 6
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Overnight on April 18 and 19, 2020, Nova Scotia RCMP were searching for a gunman who had murdered 13 people and lit buildings on fire in Portapique.
Injustice Collector | 5
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On June 4, 2020, Nova Scotia RCMP said that a psychological autopsy of Gabriel Wortman found that he was an injustice collector, "one who held onto conflict or differences with others, turning them inward until they boiled over in rage."
Red Flags | 4
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Overnight on April 18, 2020, Gabriel Wortman was hiding out in an industrial area in the town of Debert, N.S.
Emergency Response | 3
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On April 18, 2020, police respond to several 911 calls from Portapique, N.S.
Stolen Dreams |2
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The first sign from the outside that something was horribly wrong in Portapique, Nova Scotia, was rush of 911 calls around 10 p.m.
A Shattered Quiet |1
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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.
Introducing 13 Hours Inside the Nova Scotia Massacre
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The deadliest shooting spree in Canada’s modern history left us with far more questions than answers. Join Sarah Ritchie, a reporter for Global News in Halifax, as she tries to unravel how something like this could happen there.
