Family of dead suspect in alleged Halifax mass shooting plot asks for privacy

HALIFAX – There’s no more crime scene tape and the police vehicles are gone from 16 Tiger Maple Drive in Timberlea, N.S.

It’s believed James Gamble took his own life at the home early Friday morning. Nova Scotia RCMP and Halifax Regional Police will not confirm the identity of the 19-year-old who was found inside the residence, but do say he was a suspect in a foiled plan to commit a mass shooting in the Halifax-area.

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“The kids are a little nervous, you hear about things like this all the time but it’s so close to home and you don’t even know it’s going on,” said Annette Casey, who lives in the same subdivision. “My son used to actually be his book buddy at school when they were younger.”

Global News spoke to James Gamble’s father today. He asked the media for privacy to grieve the loss of his son.

“We’re lucky that a crisis was averted but we should also think of the family who lost a son and I think a lot of people in times like these they don’t think of those things,” said Crystal Mader, who lives nearby.

Paul McKenna is a Dalhousie University professor, and expert on law enforcement, policing and public safety. McKenna says we live in an unstable society and isn’t surprised a public venue like the Halifax Shopping Centre was the target of the alleged plot.

“Obviously if they’re attempting to bring attention to themselves they would pick somewhere where they could do maximum damage but we again don’t have any idea,” said McKenna.

READ MORE: Halifax plot: So what is ‘terrorism,’ anyway?

“Mass killing — that may have been the threat and to take their own lives was part of their plan, so it’s interesting to think what would they have done if they did confront people, what type of weapons did they have?”

McKenna disagrees with authorities that the plans for a mass shooting at a public venue in Halifax is not culturally based.

“I’m not suggesting this is a terrorist act but clearly when a conspiracy only involves two or more people, when there’s a conspiracy to create harm or to cause havoc in this kind of a way, it is a cultural issue. I think we need to look at what the causes were.”