Ns Mass Shooting Rcmp Officer Linked To Pending Murder Case

An RCMP officer who investigated the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooter has been linked to the alleged mishandling of a 2017 murder case that is under federal review. Const. Greg Wylie is among three police officers named in a 2018 police review into gaps in the RCMP’s response to the murder of Susie Butlin. The report was released with officers’ names redacted this week from the public inquiry investigating the 2020 mass murder. Butlin, of Bayhead, NS, had complained to the RCMP about being sexually assaulted and harassed by Ernest Ross Duggan before he killed her in September 2017. In August of that year, Wiley received Butlin’s complaints of harassment and was appointed as chief researcher. According to the internal police report, Wiley “determined there was no basis for charges” and advised her to block Duggan on Facebook. The investigation into Butlin’s murder is now under federal political review looking into the RCMP’s response to her complaints and the adequacy of its handling of sexual assault investigations. Wiley is also the police officer called in 2010 to investigate whether Gabriel Wortman — the man who killed 22 people in April 2020 — had firearms in his Portapique home, NS Wortman had threatened to kill his parents in New Brunswick in 2010. On July 15, Wortman’s wife, Lisa Banfield, testified during the inquest that Wiley had come to the Portapique residence in June 2010 to see “if he (Wortman) had any weapons in the cottage.” Wiley’s visit came after Wortman’s threats. Banfield said Wiley was shown antique guns at the home during a 10-minute visit. During an interview last year with lawyers for the public inquiry, Wiley was unable to recall details of the June 2010 investigation. In a subsequent letter to the inquiry, an RCMP lawyer said Wiley no longer had his notes from at that time. A June 2010 investigation into Wortman’s alleged death threat against his parents did not result in charges. The RCMP’s internal report on the Butlin case was initially submitted to the inquiry in a redacted form that redacted the officers’ names. Jennifer Cox, a lawyer for the public inquiry — known as the Mass Casualty Commission — told Monday’s hearings that the decision not to name the officers “impacted our ability to do the job.” Cox added that the inquiry will work to remedy the situation and “overcome the fact that we may have missed opportunities to cross-examine witnesses when they appeared before the committee.” Wiley has yet to testify under oath, although the inquest has heard he is expected to appear at a future date. In his interview last year, Wiley told the commission’s investigators that he had a good relationship with Wortman and that they often had brief “chinwags” at the killer’s residence. Wiley estimated he visited Wortman at the “ballpark” 15 times over the years, but said he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. According to a police report released by the investigation in May, Halifax police led the 2010 investigation into Wortman’s threats against his parents. The investigator, now retired Sergeant Cordell Poirier, had referred to Wiley as Wortman’s “friend,” the report said. Poirier had said he asked Wiley on several occasions to visit Wortman’s Portapeak residence to check for firearms and determine if a search warrant was needed. Also named in the Butlin report are Const. Stuart Beselt — the first officer to arrive in Portapique the night the rampage began — and Const. Rodney MacDonald. During the first night of the mass shooting, Beselt requested that an emergency broadcast be sent out to warn neighbors of the killer. He was told that local residents were being called directly and that there was no broadcast. Beselt was commended for his bravery by RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki for his response to the outrage. MacDonald was one of the first responders to the mass shooting, voluntarily coming to the scene before his scheduled shift after a friend alerted him that an active shooter was killing civilians. He positioned his patrol car on a bridge near Portapique in an attempt to prevent the killer — who unbeknownst to him had already left the area — to escape. He joined the hunt for the killer the following day as the rampage continued in the Wentworth area. Beselt and MacDonald responded to a call from Duggan’s wife — April Duggan — to police on Aug. 21, 2017, in which she said she thought “her husband was going to kill Butlin,” according to the internal RCMP report of 2018. The report said the two officers spotted Duggan, who had been drinking and appeared intoxicated. Duggan told the two officers he would “never hurt anybody.” It was five days later that Butlin spoke to Wiley about the continued harassment by Duggan and when Wiley told her there was no basis for charges. On September 14, 2017, Butlin told Cpl. Neil Wentzell that she was not satisfied with the police response to her allegations. Butlin was found dead at her home on September 17, 2017. A spokesman for the National Police Federation said in an emailed statement that once the federal political review into Butlin’s case is made public, the federation “will look at it carefully and critically.” A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia RCMP said in an email that it is “committed to investigating complaints promptly and thoroughly, sensitively and without bias, while prioritizing the needs of the victim.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 30, 2022. With files from Michael Tutton in Halifax. This story was produced with financial assistance from Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.

title: “Ns Mass Shooting Rcmp Officer Linked To Pending Murder Case Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-29” author: “Billy Goodrum”

An RCMP officer who investigated the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooter has been linked to the alleged mishandling of a 2017 murder case that is under federal review. Const. Greg Wylie is among three police officers named in a 2018 police review into gaps in the RCMP’s response to the murder of Susie Butlin. The report was released with officers’ names redacted this week from the public inquiry investigating the 2020 mass murder. Butlin, of Bayhead, NS, had complained to the RCMP about being sexually assaulted and harassed by Ernest Ross Duggan before he killed her in September 2017. In August of that year, Wiley received Butlin’s complaints of harassment and was appointed as chief researcher. According to the internal police report, Wiley “determined there was no basis for charges” and advised her to block Duggan on Facebook. The investigation into Butlin’s murder is now under federal political review looking into the RCMP’s response to her complaints and the adequacy of its handling of sexual assault investigations. Wiley is also the police officer called in 2010 to investigate whether Gabriel Wortman — the man who killed 22 people in April 2020 — had firearms in his Portapique home, NS Wortman had threatened to kill his parents in New Brunswick in 2010. On July 15, Wortman’s wife, Lisa Banfield, testified during the inquest that Wiley had come to the Portapique residence in June 2010 to see “if he (Wortman) had any weapons in the cottage.” Wiley’s visit came after Wortman’s threats. Banfield said Wiley was shown antique guns at the home during a 10-minute visit. During an interview last year with lawyers for the public inquiry, Wiley was unable to recall details of the June 2010 investigation. In a subsequent letter to the inquiry, an RCMP lawyer said Wiley no longer had his notes from at that time. A June 2010 investigation into Wortman’s alleged death threat against his parents did not result in charges. The RCMP’s internal report on the Butlin case was initially submitted to the inquiry in a redacted form that redacted the officers’ names. Jennifer Cox, a lawyer for the public inquiry — known as the Mass Casualty Commission — told Monday’s hearings that the decision not to name the officers “impacted our ability to do the job.” Cox added that the inquiry will work to remedy the situation and “overcome the fact that we may have missed opportunities to cross-examine witnesses when they appeared before the committee.” Wiley has yet to testify under oath, although the inquest has heard he is expected to appear at a future date. In his interview last year, Wiley told the commission’s investigators that he had a good relationship with Wortman and that they often had brief “chinwags” at the killer’s residence. Wiley estimated he visited Wortman at the “ballpark” 15 times over the years, but said he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. According to a police report released by the investigation in May, Halifax police led the 2010 investigation into Wortman’s threats against his parents. The investigator, now retired Sergeant Cordell Poirier, had referred to Wiley as Wortman’s “friend,” the report said. Poirier had said he asked Wiley on several occasions to visit Wortman’s Portapeak residence to check for firearms and determine if a search warrant was needed. Also named in the Butlin report are Const. Stuart Beselt — the first officer to arrive in Portapique the night the rampage began — and Const. Rodney MacDonald. During the first night of the mass shooting, Beselt requested that an emergency broadcast be sent out to warn neighbors of the killer. He was told that local residents were being called directly and that there was no broadcast. Beselt was commended for his bravery by RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki for his response to the outrage. MacDonald was one of the first responders to the mass shooting, voluntarily coming to the scene before his scheduled shift after a friend alerted him that an active shooter was killing civilians. He positioned his patrol car on a bridge near Portapique in an attempt to prevent the killer — who unbeknownst to him had already left the area — to escape. He joined the hunt for the killer the following day as the rampage continued in the Wentworth area. Beselt and MacDonald responded to a call from Duggan’s wife — April Duggan — to police on Aug. 21, 2017, in which she said she thought “her husband was going to kill Butlin,” according to the internal RCMP report of 2018. The report said the two officers spotted Duggan, who had been drinking and appeared intoxicated. Duggan told the two officers he would “never hurt anybody.” It was five days later that Butlin spoke to Wiley about the continued harassment by Duggan and when Wiley told her there was no basis for charges. On September 14, 2017, Butlin told Cpl. Neil Wentzell that she was not satisfied with the police response to her allegations. Butlin was found dead at her home on September 17, 2017. A spokesman for the National Police Federation said in an emailed statement that once the federal political review into Butlin’s case is made public, the federation “will look at it carefully and critically.” A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia RCMP said in an email that it is “committed to investigating complaints promptly and thoroughly, sensitively and without bias, while prioritizing the needs of the victim.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 30, 2022. With files from Michael Tutton in Halifax. This story was produced with financial assistance from Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.

title: “Ns Mass Shooting Rcmp Officer Linked To Pending Murder Case Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-06” author: “David Stjohn”

An RCMP officer who investigated the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooter has been linked to the alleged mishandling of a 2017 murder case that is under federal review. Const. Greg Wylie is among three police officers named in a 2018 police review into gaps in the RCMP’s response to the murder of Susie Butlin. The report was released with officers’ names redacted this week from the public inquiry investigating the 2020 mass murder. Butlin, of Bayhead, NS, had complained to the RCMP about being sexually assaulted and harassed by Ernest Ross Duggan before he killed her in September 2017. In August of that year, Wiley received Butlin’s complaints of harassment and was appointed as chief researcher. According to the internal police report, Wiley “determined there was no basis for charges” and advised her to block Duggan on Facebook. The investigation into Butlin’s murder is now under federal political review looking into the RCMP’s response to her complaints and the adequacy of its handling of sexual assault investigations. Wiley is also the police officer called in 2010 to investigate whether Gabriel Wortman — the man who killed 22 people in April 2020 — had firearms in his Portapique home, NS Wortman had threatened to kill his parents in New Brunswick in 2010. On July 15, Wortman’s wife, Lisa Banfield, testified during the inquest that Wiley had come to the Portapique residence in June 2010 to see “if he (Wortman) had any weapons in the cottage.” Wiley’s visit came after Wortman’s threats. Banfield said Wiley was shown antique guns at the home during a 10-minute visit. During an interview last year with lawyers for the public inquiry, Wiley was unable to recall details of the June 2010 investigation. In a subsequent letter to the inquiry, an RCMP lawyer said Wiley no longer had his notes from at that time. A June 2010 investigation into Wortman’s alleged death threat against his parents did not result in charges. The RCMP’s internal report on the Butlin case was initially submitted to the inquiry in a redacted form that redacted the officers’ names. Jennifer Cox, a lawyer for the public inquiry — known as the Mass Casualty Commission — told Monday’s hearings that the decision not to name the officers “impacted our ability to do the job.” Cox added that the inquiry will work to remedy the situation and “overcome the fact that we may have missed opportunities to cross-examine witnesses when they appeared before the committee.” Wiley has yet to testify under oath, although the inquest has heard he is expected to appear at a future date. In his interview last year, Wiley told the commission’s investigators that he had a good relationship with Wortman and that they often had brief “chinwags” at the killer’s residence. Wiley estimated he visited Wortman at the “ballpark” 15 times over the years, but said he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. According to a police report released by the investigation in May, Halifax police led the 2010 investigation into Wortman’s threats against his parents. The investigator, now retired Sergeant Cordell Poirier, had referred to Wiley as Wortman’s “friend,” the report said. Poirier had said he asked Wiley on several occasions to visit Wortman’s Portapeak residence to check for firearms and determine if a search warrant was needed. Also named in the Butlin report are Const. Stuart Beselt — the first officer to arrive in Portapique the night the rampage began — and Const. Rodney MacDonald. During the first night of the mass shooting, Beselt requested that an emergency broadcast be sent out to warn neighbors of the killer. He was told that local residents were being called directly and that there was no broadcast. Beselt was commended for his bravery by RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki for his response to the outrage. MacDonald was one of the first responders to the mass shooting, voluntarily coming to the scene before his scheduled shift after a friend alerted him that an active shooter was killing civilians. He positioned his patrol car on a bridge near Portapique in an attempt to prevent the killer — who unbeknownst to him had already left the area — to escape. He joined the hunt for the killer the following day as the rampage continued in the Wentworth area. Beselt and MacDonald responded to a call from Duggan’s wife — April Duggan — to police on Aug. 21, 2017, in which she said she thought “her husband was going to kill Butlin,” according to the internal RCMP report of 2018. The report said the two officers spotted Duggan, who had been drinking and appeared intoxicated. Duggan told the two officers he would “never hurt anybody.” It was five days later that Butlin spoke to Wiley about the continued harassment by Duggan and when Wiley told her there was no basis for charges. On September 14, 2017, Butlin told Cpl. Neil Wentzell that she was not satisfied with the police response to her allegations. Butlin was found dead at her home on September 17, 2017. A spokesman for the National Police Federation said in an emailed statement that once the federal political review into Butlin’s case is made public, the federation “will look at it carefully and critically.” A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia RCMP said in an email that it is “committed to investigating complaints promptly and thoroughly, sensitively and without bias, while prioritizing the needs of the victim.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 30, 2022. With files from Michael Tutton in Halifax. This story was produced with financial assistance from Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.

title: “Ns Mass Shooting Rcmp Officer Linked To Pending Murder Case Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-24” author: “Sonia Callahan”

An RCMP officer who investigated the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooter has been linked to the alleged mishandling of a 2017 murder case that is under federal review. Const. Greg Wylie is among three police officers named in a 2018 police review into gaps in the RCMP’s response to the murder of Susie Butlin. The report was released with officers’ names redacted this week from the public inquiry investigating the 2020 mass murder. Butlin, of Bayhead, NS, had complained to the RCMP about being sexually assaulted and harassed by Ernest Ross Duggan before he killed her in September 2017. In August of that year, Wiley received Butlin’s complaints of harassment and was appointed as chief researcher. According to the internal police report, Wiley “determined there was no basis for charges” and advised her to block Duggan on Facebook. The investigation into Butlin’s murder is now under federal political review looking into the RCMP’s response to her complaints and the adequacy of its handling of sexual assault investigations. Wiley is also the police officer called in 2010 to investigate whether Gabriel Wortman — the man who killed 22 people in April 2020 — had firearms in his Portapique home, NS Wortman had threatened to kill his parents in New Brunswick in 2010. On July 15, Wortman’s wife, Lisa Banfield, testified during the inquest that Wiley had come to the Portapique residence in June 2010 to see “if he (Wortman) had any weapons in the cottage.” Wiley’s visit came after Wortman’s threats. Banfield said Wiley was shown antique guns at the home during a 10-minute visit. During an interview last year with lawyers for the public inquiry, Wiley was unable to recall details of the June 2010 investigation. In a subsequent letter to the inquiry, an RCMP lawyer said Wiley no longer had his notes from at that time. A June 2010 investigation into Wortman’s alleged death threat against his parents did not result in charges. The RCMP’s internal report on the Butlin case was initially submitted to the inquiry in a redacted form that redacted the officers’ names. Jennifer Cox, a lawyer for the public inquiry — known as the Mass Casualty Commission — told Monday’s hearings that the decision not to name the officers “impacted our ability to do the job.” Cox added that the inquiry will work to remedy the situation and “overcome the fact that we may have missed opportunities to cross-examine witnesses when they appeared before the committee.” Wiley has yet to testify under oath, although the inquest has heard he is expected to appear at a future date. In his interview last year, Wiley told the commission’s investigators that he had a good relationship with Wortman and that they often had brief “chinwags” at the killer’s residence. Wiley estimated he visited Wortman at the “ballpark” 15 times over the years, but said he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. According to a police report released by the investigation in May, Halifax police led the 2010 investigation into Wortman’s threats against his parents. The investigator, now retired Sergeant Cordell Poirier, had referred to Wiley as Wortman’s “friend,” the report said. Poirier had said he asked Wiley on several occasions to visit Wortman’s Portapeak residence to check for firearms and determine if a search warrant was needed. Also named in the Butlin report are Const. Stuart Beselt — the first officer to arrive in Portapique the night the rampage began — and Const. Rodney MacDonald. During the first night of the mass shooting, Beselt requested that an emergency broadcast be sent out to warn neighbors of the killer. He was told that local residents were being called directly and that there was no broadcast. Beselt was commended for his bravery by RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki for his response to the outrage. MacDonald was one of the first responders to the mass shooting, voluntarily coming to the scene before his scheduled shift after a friend alerted him that an active shooter was killing civilians. He positioned his patrol car on a bridge near Portapique in an attempt to prevent the killer — who unbeknownst to him had already left the area — to escape. He joined the hunt for the killer the following day as the rampage continued in the Wentworth area. Beselt and MacDonald responded to a call from Duggan’s wife — April Duggan — to police on Aug. 21, 2017, in which she said she thought “her husband was going to kill Butlin,” according to the internal RCMP report of 2018. The report said the two officers spotted Duggan, who had been drinking and appeared intoxicated. Duggan told the two officers he would “never hurt anybody.” It was five days later that Butlin spoke to Wiley about the continued harassment by Duggan and when Wiley told her there was no basis for charges. On September 14, 2017, Butlin told Cpl. Neil Wentzell that she was not satisfied with the police response to her allegations. Butlin was found dead at her home on September 17, 2017. A spokesman for the National Police Federation said in an emailed statement that once the federal political review into Butlin’s case is made public, the federation “will look at it carefully and critically.” A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia RCMP said in an email that it is “committed to investigating complaints promptly and thoroughly, sensitively and without bias, while prioritizing the needs of the victim.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 30, 2022. With files from Michael Tutton in Halifax. This story was produced with financial assistance from Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.