N.S. mass shooting victims' son, public safety expert react to police gear seizure in Cape Breton
CTV
The son of two N.S. mass shooting victims says the discovery of police clothing and equipment during a recent arrest in Cape Breton has proven new laws meant to make it harder for people to obtain police gear without authorization aren't effective enough.
It was a discovery that came as a shock and brought back bad memories, particularly for those who lost loved ones during Nova Scotia's 2020 mass shooting.
"It doesn't surprise me. Not one bit,” said Harry Bond, whose parents Peter and Joy Bond were among the 22 people killed by a gunman dressed as a Mountie and driving a mock RCMP cruiser in April 2020.
Bond said the discovery of police clothing and equipment -- some authentic to the RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police -- during a recent arrest in Cape Breton, disgusts him and proves that new laws meant to make it harder for people to obtain police gear without authorization aren't effective enough.
"They haven't learned a damned thing,” Bond said. “I lost both my parents to the idiot dressed as a cop, in their own home where they are supposed to be safe. There's 21 other lives lost… and you're still getting copycats."
"We don't know why he had these articles in his possession, and we're not in a position to speculate,” Cape Breton Regional Police Chief Robert Walsh said during an interview with CTV Atlantic Friday.
On Friday, Cape Breton Regional Police announced that they confiscated a sizable cache of police gear during the arrest of a man in Millville, N.S., relating to an earlier domestic disturbance call and subsequent police chase.
Colin James Penny, 30, has been charged with 21 weapons and assault-related offences, along with a charge of possessing a police article or uniform without authorization.
