MCC Day 3 - Portapique April 18-19, 2020 Foundational Document Presentation

Today was the first day that the Mass Casualty Commission really engaged with the evidence that has been gathered regarding the tragic killings of April 18 - 19, 2020. Commission Counsel, senior legal aid lawyer, Roger Burrill, presented from the “Portapique April 18-19, 2020” Foundational Document. This is a 91-page summary prepared by the Commission that covers the first hour or so of the killing spree, up to the time when the shooter was able to escape Portapique. In terms of significant new evidence (or perhaps it would be better to say descriptions of evidence, since none of this was given as testimony, per se), the revelation that the killer was practically in sight of the RCMP officers as they were being told by one of the killers neighbors that he had just been shot, seems to be the most significant in terms of the mandate of the Commission. Also new is the mention that the DNA of Corrie Ellison was found on the killer’s boots. There had been some speculation that Mr. Ellison may have been accidentally shot by an officer in the confusion of the search, but this fact would certainly run counter to that theory. For those who had not previously heard, or read any of the reports of the 911 call made by the McCully and Blair children, who ranged in age from 8-12, the poise and courage which they displayed, while in close proximity to the killer, and under impossibly difficult circumstances, may have made the strongest impression of anything that was outlined by Mr. Burrill. We will find out more tomorrow what the police and other first responders may have known as events were unfolding. It is clear from the evidence unveiled today that they either knew, or should have known, by 11 PM on April 18, 2020, who the killer was, that he was disguised as a police officer, and that there was a chance he had escaped.