RCMP officers surround at a gas station in Enfield, N.S., on April 19, 2020.Tim Krochak/The Canadian Press
The Mounties are replacing senior members of an internal team tasked with providing information to Nova Scotia’s mass shooting inquiry because of conflict of interest concerns.
An e-mailed statement from the force says Chief Superintendent John Robin is departing as leader of the team, as he is married to Halifax RCMP Chief Supt. Janis Gray.
Retired RCMP Staff Sergeant Mike Butcher, husband of Nova Scotia Assistant Commissioner Lee Bergerman, is also now off the team.
The force says Chief Supt. Michael O’Malley will assume leadership of the project team in August, adding that Chief Supt. Robin and Staff Sgt. Butcher have “asked to step away.”
The inquiry into the rampage of April 18-19, 2020, includes a mandate to probe in detail what happened during the 13-hour killing spree, including the police response and communication with the public and the families of the 22 people killed by the gunman.
The RCMP say they had assigned Chief Supt. Robin and Staff Sgt. Butcher to the team because of their qualifications and experience, but they say concerns were later raised about the appearance of a conflict of interest.
After an internal review, the force says the two officers stepped away to ensure the Mass Casualty Commission “remains a defendable, credible and transparent process.”
Staff Sgt. Butcher’s wife, Assistant Commissioner Bergerman, recently announced she will retire in early October, days before the Mass Casualty Commission begins public hearings.
The hearings are scheduled from Oct. 26 until Dec. 10, with an interim report due in May, 2022, and a final report six months later.
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