Home World News Canada news RCMP’s psychological assessment of N.S. shooter called into question
Canada news

RCMP’s psychological assessment of N.S. shooter called into question

Share
rcmps psychological assessment of n s shooter called into question
Share
rcmps psychological assessment of n s shooter called into question

Authors of a psychological assessment commissioned by the RCMP didn’t back up their conclusions about the gunman in Nova Scotia’s 2020 mass shooting, according to two researchers appearing in front of the inquiry investigating the tragedy Friday.

In the months after Gabriel Wortman’s rampage in April 2020, an RCMP’s team — including in-house profilers and an RCMP forensic psychologist — attempted to understand his state of mind at the time of the shootings and identify any behavioural patterns.

In June of 2020, RCMP Supt. Darren Campbell revealed some of the initial finding of the ‘psychological autopsy,’ calling the gunman an injustice collector —  someone who held onto perceived insults until he “boiled over into rage.”

The report also said the victims were either targeted for perceived injustices of the past or were random targets.

The Mass Casualty Commission brought in psychologists Kristy Martire, an associate professor at the University of South Wales in Australia, and Tess Neal, an associate professor at  Arizona State University, to review the report.

They concluded that the RCMP report’s authors “did not at all provide evidence that the method or process used in the report had been measured.”

Martire and Neal go on to write that the authors did not refer to any published research to back up their report.

They also found the RCMP had a “vested interest” in a particular outcome of the psychological assessment as the critical incident responders to the violence and were in a potential conflict of interest.

For example, they point out the report’s authors work for the RCMP and knew details about the outcome of the events prior to undertaking the assessment. 

“There appears to have been no attempt to reduce the potential effects of hindsight bias, such as blinding to some of the details of the outcomes or having the evaluation completed by someone who did not know the details of the outcomes,” they wrote.

Martire and Neal also found “frequent examples of opinions and beliefs being presented as though they are facts.”

Their report noted the purpose of the psychological autopsy isn’t explicitly stated, and the relevance of some conclusions aren’t clear.

Although the RCMP report is entitled “Psychological Autopsy,” it also looked back at the gunman’s behaviour, Martire and Neal wrote. 

“Because of this, it is unclear how the analysis and conclusions served the aims of the assessment.'”

Martire and Neal will take questions from the commission later Friday.

MORE TOP STORIES

Share

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

Related Articles
Drug precursors the new 'primary threat' entering Canada as fentanyl imports drop
Canada news

New Focus on Drug Precursors: The Evolving Battle Against Fentanyl in Canada

As Canada grapples with a devastating opioid crisis, law enforcement agencies are...

This boy hurt in collision didn't have an Indian status card, so Ottawa wouldn't pay for medical evacuation
Canada news

Family Calls for Change After Young Boy Denied Medical Evacuation Due to Status Card Issue

The family of a seven-year-old boy from the Deer Lake First Nation...

B.C. village mourns deaths of 2 longtime residents in landslide
Canada news

Tragedy Strikes Lions Bay: Community Grieves Loss of Beloved Couple in Landslide

The picturesque village of Lions Bay, located just 25 minutes north of...

This Alberta town has mountains on one side, Calgary on the other — and some big growing pains
Canada news

Cochrane, Alberta: A Town in Transition Faces Growing Pains Amidst Rapid Expansion

Nestled in a stunning river valley at the base of the majestic...