The ripple effect from the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting that killed 22 continues, as a survivor has now died by suicide in Fredericton.
Clinton Ellison struggled with PTSD since the events of April 18, 2020. On that night, he heard gunfire and found his brother Corrie, who had been killed by the shooter. Ellison then hid in the woods for hours.
Experts say trauma-related deaths like his are part of the true toll. Another survivor, Leon Joudrey, died by suicide in 2022.
A 2023 Mass Casualty Commission report recommended better mental health access, but funding for those programs faced cuts in the province’s February budget. Ellison’s stepfather says long-term care remains critical.