A gunman posing as a policeman has killed at least 16 people, including a female police officer, in what is considered to be the deadliest mass shooting in Canada.
On Saturday the 12-hour spree began and ended with a car chase.
Police said the gunman shot men, many of them randomly, at different locations in Nova Scotia. He was killed during a police altercation.
After the attack started, citizens had been told to lock themselves inside the rural town of Portapique.
On Sunday the authorities were still seeking to determine the final death toll. We warned there might be more casualties.
Among those killed was Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable (RCMP) Heidi Stevenson, who had served in the Force for 23 years.
"Heidi responded to the call of duty and lost her life while protecting those she served," said Assistant Commissioner Lee Bergerman in a Facebook post to Nova Scotia RCMP Commanding Officer.
"Two children have lost their mother and his wife to a husband. Parents have lost their daughter and many others have lost an outstanding friend and colleague," said Commissioner Bergerman.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said she suspected that, according to CBC News, the gunman had an initial "motivation" at the start that "turned to randomness."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada described it as "a horrible situation," and Premier Stephen McNeil of Nova Scotia told reporters "this is one of the most senseless acts of violence in the history of our province."
Police say they were first alerted to an incident involving firearms late on Saturday.
Tweets by Nova Scotia police identified the alleged attacker as 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman.
He was not employed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but "may be wearing a RCMP uniform", they said.
"There's one difference between his car and our Royal Canadian Mounted Police vehicles: the car # [registration plate]. The suspect's car is 28B11, behind rear passenger window. If you see 28B11 call 911 immediately," they tweeted on Sunday.
The gunman later changed cars to drive a "small silver Chevrolet SUV", police added.
The police provided few details about how the suspected gunman died.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada where gun ownership laws are stricter than in the neighbouring United States.
Last year two fugitive teenagers confessed to killing three people, including an Australian-US couple on holiday, in northern British Columbia.
In 2017, university student Alexandre Bissonnette shot dead six worshippers and injured either others a Quebec City mosque.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been targeted in a number of shootings, including an attack that left three officers dead in Moncton, New Brunswick, in 2014.
In 1989, a college shooting in Quebec left 14 women dead after the killer sent all the men out of the classroom and opened fire.
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