Nova Scotia shooting: ex-neighbours say they warned police about gunman

Former neighbours of the gunman who killed 22 people in Canada’s worst shooting have said they warned police he was violent and had a collection of illegal firearms – but that little action was taken by authorities.

Nearly one month ago, Gabriel Wortman went on a shooting spree in rural Nova Scotia – the deadliest in the country’s history – before he was shot dead by police.

Related: Nova Scotia shooting: police launch ‘psychological autopsy’ of gunman for clues

In the weeks since the attack, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have started interviewing with friends, family and colleagues of the gunman to better understand his actions – a technique known as a “psychological autopsy”.

Brenda Forbes, a former neighbour of the gunman, told the Canadian Press that his violence was known – and feared – in the community.

In 2013, Wortman’s then partner approached Forbes for help after being attacked by Wortman.

“She ran to my house and said Gabriel was beating on her and she had to get away. She was afraid,” Forbes said.

Three male witnesses saw Wortman “strangling her … beating on her,” said Forbes – but none were willing to speak with police, fearing reprisal from Wortman.

“I called the RCMP and I told them what happened, and I said he has a bunch of illegal weapons, and I know because he showed them to us,” said Forbes.

“From what I got from the RCMP, because [the partner] would not put in a complaint, as she was scared to death, they basically said, ‘There’s not much we can do. We can monitor him but there’s not much else we can do,’” she said.

The RCMP has not publicly addressed the allegations, first reported in the Halifax Examiner.

But the police have previously said Wortman severely beat his common-law partner in the hours before beginning his deadly shooting.

Forbes’s husband – who like his wife is a veteran of the Canadian armed forces – recalled seeing Wortman’s collection of weapons, including pistols and a rifle.

“He knew I had weapons, being in the military, so he was always one of those guys who had to show others that whatever they had, he had something better,” George Forbes told the Canadian Press. “We reported that to the police also,” he said.

The RCMP have said Wortman did not have a licence for any of the weapons used in the attack, which are believed to have been obtained in Canada and the United States.

Related: Twelve hours of terror: how the Nova Scotia shooting rampage unfolded

After she reported the domestic abuse incident, Brenda Forbes said Wortman became more aggressive toward her.

The couple left the province in 2014, largely out of fear over Wortman’s behaviour.

“I was scared … Even though I’m military and I know how to use a weapon, that man scared the crap out of me,” she said.