The man who made decals that helped create a mock-up RCMP vehicle used in the Nova Scotia mass shooting in April created the designs months before the shooting.
The details are contained in a decision released by the Parole Board of Canada, which revoked the parole of Peter Alan Griffon as a result of his actions.
Griffon, 40, was serving a sentence of two years, nine months and eight days for drug trafficking for a Mexican drug cartel. He was granted parole in 2018.
According to the parole board documents, Griffon made the decals without permission of the owner of the business where he had been working.
“The workplace theft occurred in 2019,” reads the decision dated July 15.
“Charges are being contemplated, be they theft and or obstruction of a police investigation.”
The decals were “eventually affixed to a falsified RCMP vehicle,” and helped the gunman evade Nova Scotia police over 13 hours on April 18 and 19 as he killed 22 people.
“The person who requested the decals, who was also the operator of the vehicle, would go on to murder a significant number of people, and terrorizing an entire province by doing so,” the parole documents read.
Lied to police and parole officer
Police interviewed Griffon in April as they investigated the shooting.
At the time, Griffon told a parole officer that he didn’t know anything relevant to the case and that he was a “rural neighbour” to the gunman.
“Asked outright by your parole officer, you unequivocally stated that you did not make police decals that would be installed on the car utilized by the shooter,” the parole documents read.
Both of Griffon’s statements to his parole officer were lies.
Police secured a search warrant for Griffon’s workplace. There they discovered that Griffon had produced the decals even though he had been told not to.
“A photo of the completed work was found on your phone,” reads the decision.
Griffon later admitted to lying outright to the parole officer and misleading police.
‘Lack of transparency’
During a parole board hearing, Griffon said that in hindsight, he simply panicked.
“As someone convicted of drug and weapons charges, and on parole, you felt incredible pressure (self-imposed) to distance yourself from the mayhem that ensued. Social media was all-consuming, and your life in the small community most affected by the mass murders was becoming unbearable. You and your family lost close friends and family,” the decision reads.
“During your post-suspension interview on May 13, 2020, you expressed remorse for your actions and you admitted to the theft… You are alleged to have reoffended and admit as much. Equally important is the lack of transparency demonstrated.”
The convicted drug trafficker said he knew the gunman because “he had a summer residence near (Griffon’s) family home.”
Griffon would do odd jobs around the gunman’s property and was eventually asked about creating decals for a car that the gunman was putting together.
“You referred to him as a hobbyist; someone who if told he could not do something would set out to prove you wrong. Hence, putting together a police car because no one else had,” the documents read.
“It never crossed your mind that his intent was to act as he did.”
Parole revoked but release coming soon
The parole decision concludes that Griffon’s “capacity for clear thought with consideration for consequences” is compromised when under pressure.
“The consequences of your most recent flawed decision-making contributed to a horrific end that touched every life in your province,” reads the decision.
It was the parole board’s opinion that Griffon, if released on full parole, would present an undue risk to society and would not contribute to the protection of society.
However, Griffon’s statutory release date is “rapidly approaching.”
When he gets out, Griffon is expected to live “at a supportive close family member’s home.”
He will live under multiple conditions, including orders to stay away from known criminals, not to consume drugs other than prescribed medication and to provide his parole officer with financial information.