they got plenty o' guns in Canada, too

At least 16 people are dead in Canada shooting rampage that spanned 12 hours.

by Ryan W. Miller, USA Today

At least 16 people are dead after one of Canada's worst mass shootings when a gunman dressed as a police officer went on a more than 12 hour killing spree, authorities said.

The alleged shooter, who is also dead, donned a police uniform and drove around in what appeared to be a police cruiser as he set fires to homes and went on a gun rampage starting in the small, rural town of Portapique in Nova Scotia.

A police officer was among the dead in the assault that began Saturday night. Authorities said the gunman may have targeted his first victims then attacked randomly.

"This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history," said Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil.

Here's what we know:

The assault began late Saturday as Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned residents in the area to stay home with their doors locked.

Sunday morning, police tweeted a photo of Gabriel Wortman, 51, who they warned was "armed and dangerous."

As Wortman moved through the area heading south, police continued to tweet his location. They also shared a photo of his vehicle that appeared to be a police cruiser.

At one point, there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and police, said RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather.

By 11 a.m. Sunday local time, police said Wortman had switched cars. The pursuit spanned more than 50 miles to a gas station in Enfield, where he was shot dead by RCMP officers. Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team, independent of the police force, said it was investigating the shooting.

Might help to be armed in such a situation. Just sayin'. My opinion notwithstanding, I offer my condolences to the Canadian people, who normally don't have to deal with mass shootings—at least, not to the extent that we do in the US.