Tip website set up as part of proposed mass shooting class-action lawsuit
Lawyers for the families of victims hope to gather photos, videos from the public
A lawyer at the firm behind a proposed class-action lawsuit on behalf of most of the families affected by Nova Scotia's mass shooting says a website has been set up to collect tips and other information from the public.
Rob Pineo of Patterson Law in Truro, N.S., said the Facebook page, called NS Mass Shooting Tip Page, will receive information to go to Martin and Associates, the criminal investigation firm working with Patterson on the file. There is also the ability to submit tips anonymously.
Pineo said his team knows there are videos and photos from various parts of the rampage, which started late last April 18 and ended on the morning of April 19 with 22 people dead. Pineo said the aim is to gather as much of that information as possible while awaiting disclosure they'll receive through the courts.
"Friends of friends have told me that they know somebody who has such information," he said in an interview.
"So we're hoping that by making a tip page where people can easily engage with the investigators, that we'll get more information on what took place."
Martin and Associates has been working with Patterson since the law firm was retained by the families, said Pineo. It's not unusual for a law firm to work with outside experts, but it's particularly useful in this case because of its size and scope, he said.
"We recognized early on that we were going to need special expertise in the policing field and, as lawyers, we're good at certain things but we're not police officers or former police officers. So the ability to understand and even just decode some of the jargon is above what we do."
It also means being able to know what might be missing from any information packages or what to ask for next upon reviewing information, said Pineo.
The proposed class-action names the RCMP and the province of Nova Scotia as defendants. It must be approved by a judge before it can move to trial.
The federal and provincial governments agreed to call a public inquiry into the shooting following intense pressure and lobbying by families of the victims. The third and final commissioner for the inquiry is currently being vetted.