RCMP officers tell N.S. mass shooting inquiry they 'tried their best' amid mayhem

The first three officers to arrive at the scene of a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 told a public inquiry on Monday they were prepared for anything as they raced to Portapique but never imagined their suspect was in a vehicle nearly identical to the ones they drove. 

Constables Stuart Beselt, Adam Merchant and Aaron Patton testified together on Monday at the inquiry examining the shooting that killed 22 people, including a pregnant woman and RCMP officer. The witness panel format had all three sitting side by side, as they retraced the first 90 minutes of the RCMP response on April 18, 2020.

Now that they've had nearly two years to reflect on that chaotic night, and the aftermath, the officers told the inquiry they "tried their best."

"It was mayhem. We tried to deal with things as they came," said Patton. 

All three members continue to work for the RCMP. Beselt and Merchant are still in Nova Scotia while Patton is based in Nunavut. 

The trio described how they drove between 160-200 km/h in separate vehicles from outside Truro to get to the scene in Portapique in about 20 minutes. At the time, they only knew there had been a shooting in the small, rural community.

Beselt acknowledged they had information upon arrival suggesting the suspect was driving what "looked like a police car," but he said that can mean different things to different people.

"We're open to the possibility of anything at that point, but were we specifically thinking that he had a mocked-up police car that was in every way exactly like a police car? No. It was surprising to us," he said.

Roger Burrill, senior counsel for the Mass Casualty Commission that is leading the inquiry, played audio from 911 calls and radio communication between RCMP members before asking for reaction and insight.

Beselt told the inquiry it wasn't until the following day when RCMP released a photo of the gunman's car to the public that he realized it was truly a replica police car.

"The thing you have to realize is that for him it's a target-rich environment because he knows he's the only fake. We had no idea the level of that car — what it was done up to be," Beselt said.

"The next day, they did and he still got the jump on two members."

Const. Heidi Stevenson of the Nova Scotia RCMP was shot and killed by the gunman the morning of April 19. Her colleague, Const. Chad Morrison, was also shot but survived.

Beselt told the inquiry how they assumed that night it was likely an old decommissioned police car with "some of the old markings," but he said they were open to anything.