Halifax police say the deaths of a woman and her father, who were shot in the city’s north end on New Year’s Eve, have been deemed homicides.
According to Halifax Regional Police, the woman’s partner was also found dead a few hours later.
In a Thursday update, police say their deaths were the result of intimate partner violence.
Officers first responded to the 2400-block of Gottingen street just after 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
“At the scene, officers located a vehicle containing a deceased woman and an unresponsive man,” police wrote in a release.
“Both had suffered gunshot wounds. The man was transported to hospital where he died as a result of his injuries.”
The victims have been identified as Cora-Lee Smith, 40, and her father Bradford Downey, 73.
A few hours later, at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, police “received information that a man connected to the victims was believed to be in the area of the Halifax Commons.”
According to police, a man was found dead. He had been shot and a firearm was recovered at the scene.
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“The man located deceased at the Halifax Commons has been identified as 39-year-old Matthew Costain. His death is still under investigation by police in coordination with the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service,” the release added.
Police noted Costain was “known to be in a relationship with Ms. Smith” and called the incidents intimate partner violence.
“At this time, police are not looking for any other suspects,” the release read.
Intimate partner violence epidemic
Intimate partner violence has been acknowledged as an epidemic in the province.
On social media, Adsum for Women & Children called for action to prevent such cases.
“Another case in Nova Scotia (with) devastating consequences,” the advocacy group wrote on X. “Those holding power need to act to prevent gender-based violence and respond to this epidemic.”
https://x.com/adsumforwomen/status/1874844679319273971
In a November interview, the chair of the Feminist Alliance for International Action, Bre Woligroski, said the increase in reported cases — not only in Nova Scotia but across the country — should be a cause for concern.
“Vocabulary really reflects our beliefs about the reality of intimate partner violence,” Woligroski said, while noting statistics showed a 20 per cent increase in cases from 2014 to 2022.
During the election campaign that month, the province saw three cases of intimate partner violence that resulted in deaths. All three major party leaders on the campaign trail used the word epidemic to describe the situation.
The Mass Casualty Commission’s findings and recommendations, which were the result of an inquiry into the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia, also addressed intimate partner violence.
One of the commission’s recommendations was that “all levels of government in Canada declare gender-based, intimate partner, and family violence to be an epidemic that warrants a meaningful and sustained society-wide response.”
If you or anyone know you know are in immediate danger, call 911.
A list of resources for those experiencing intimate partner violence:
Bryony House in Halifax.
Shelters for women and their children experiencing violence.
Shelter Nova Scotia for emergency shelter for men.
KidsHelpPhone.ca for children or teenagers.
If you need crisis services, please call or text 211 or toll free 1-855-466-4994.
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