Nova Scotia gunman killed 9 of his 22 victims by setting fire to their houses, police say

FILE PHOTO: Nova Scotia flags are lowered on the New Brunswick/Nova Scotia border a day after a mass shooting by Gabriel Wortman, in Fort Lawrence, Canada April 20, 2020. REUTERS/John Morris/File Photo

(Reuters) - Nine of the 22 victims killed in Canada's Nova Scotia province earlier this month in a weekend shooting rampage died in house fires set by the gunman, Canadian police told reporters on Tuesday.

The shooter, 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman, also killed pets, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in an update to their investigation into the killings. The shooting took place over 13 hours on April 18 and 19 in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia, before Wortman was shot dead by police.