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CANADA: Three people expected to be arraigned for alleged ammunition transfer to N.S. shooter

When the charges were announced on Dec. 4, police said the three "had no prior knowledge" of the actions of the gunman
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HALIFAX — Three people who allegedly supplied ammunition to the gunman who murdered 22 people in the April 18-19 mass shooting in Nova Scotia are scheduled for court hearings today.

RCMP have charged Lisa Banfield, the 52-year-old spouse of the killer, with unlawfully transferring ammunition, specifically .223-calibre Remington cartridges and .40-calibre Smith and Wesson cartridges.

Police have laid the same charges against 52-year-old James Blair Banfield and 60-year-old Brian Brewster.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between March 17 and April 18 last year.

When the charges were announced on Dec. 4, police said the three "had no prior knowledge" of the actions of the gunman, who was killed by an RCMP officer on April 19.

A spokeswoman for the Crown says the arraignments are expected to occur via teleconference in Dartmouth provincial court.

The RCMP has said that on the night of April 18, Banfield was handcuffed by the gunman, Gabriel Wortman, but managed to escape into nearby woods in Portapique, N.S.

She emerged the next morning and told police at 6:30 a.m. that Wortman was driving a police replica vehicle.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2021.

The Canadian Press