A newly released document reveals that in May 2011 police were told Gabriel Wortman, the Nova Scotia man who would later kill 22 people in a shooting rampage, wanted to ``kill a cop'' and was feeling mentally unstable.
The officer safety bulletin, submitted by the Truro Police Service, does not include names in the version released to media, but police Chief David MacNeil confirmed the subject in question was Wortman.
The brief report says a Truro police officer had received information from a source indicating Wortman was upset about a police investigation into a break-and-enter and had ``stated he wants to kill a cop.''
The officer goes on to say he was told Wortman owned a handgun and was having some ``mental issues'' that left him feeling stressed and ``a little squirrelly.''
The document, first obtained by the CBC, says Wortman was investigated for uttering death threats aimed at his parents in June 2010, which led police to conclude he may be in possession of several rifles.
MacNeil says the patrol officer who prepared the bulletin submitted it to the Criminal Intelligence Service of Nova Scotia for analysis and distribution to other police forces.