Man who killed girlfriend and her father on New Year's Eve was wanted for nightclub shooting

Matthew Costain had a lengthy criminal record in Ontario

Image | District 45

Caption: Police outside of the entrance to District 45 nightclub in North York in the hours after shots were fired inside on Aug. 5, 2019, injuring multiple people. (Jeremy Cohn)

The man who fatally shot his girlfriend and her father on New Year's Eve in Halifax before killing himself was wanted by Toronto police in relation to a nightclub shooting in 2019.
Halifax Regional Police confirmed Friday that Matthew Costain, 39, who is the sole suspect in the double homicide, is the same Matthew Costain with an outstanding arrest warrant in Ontario.
The Toronto Police Service told CBC News Costain was wanted for "several 2019 firearm offences in Toronto."
According to the Toronto Sun, Costain was a suspect in a shooting at a packed nightclub(external link) in North York in August 2019.
Toronto Police said they found five victims at the nightclub, including one male in life-threatening condition and four others, including two females, in non-life-threatening condition.

Offences dating back 20 years

Costain has never been convicted of a crime in Nova Scotia but he has a lengthy criminal record in Ontario, where he grew up. Two decades ago, he faced armed robbery and firearms charges and was sentenced to two years in jail.

Image | Matthew Costain

Caption: Matthew Costain was previously wanted in connection with a Toronto nightclub shooting in 2019. Toronto Police distributed this undated photo to media at the time. (Toronto Police)

In 2014, he was sentenced to five years and nine months after being found guilty of firearms offences. He was credited for already having served two years on remand.
Reporting by the Fort Erie Times(external link) says when Costain was in jail in 2014, he was charged with assaulting three other inmates.
The Toronto Star has also reported on Costain's history in Ontario, including an excerpt from a sworn affidavit he gave as part of a 2016 lawsuit on solitary confinement(external link).

History of domestic violence

In addition to the charges he has faced, court records provide some other insight into Costain's past.
A 2010 court decision reveals that Costain had a history of physically abusing a past partner.
WATCH | New Year's Eve homicide victims were father, daughter:

Media Video | CBC News Nova Scotia : Halifax police release new details about New Year's Eve shootings

Caption: Police are now investigating a third death, which they say is connected to the murders. Taryn Grant has the latest.

Open Full Embed in New Tab (external link)Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage.
A sentencing decision from 2014 notes that Costain had "a serious drug problem," and was using crack cocaine daily.
Costain's victims in Halifax were 40-year-old Cora-Lee Smith and her 73-year-old father, Bradford Downey, who are being mourned by their community of North Preston.
Police have called the killings an act of intimate partner violence, marking the latest in a string of domestic homicides in Nova Scotia in recent months.
WATCH | Tight-knit community rallying together after father, daughter shot dead in Halifax:

Media Video | CBC News Nova Scotia : Nova Scotia community grieves father, daughter killed in Halifax on New Year's Eve

Caption: North Preston has been shaken by the deaths of Bradford Downey and Cora-Lee Smith. Luke Ettinger has the story.

Open Full Embed in New Tab (external link)Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage.

For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:
MORE TOP STORIES