Halifax police have classified the deaths of a woman and her father, who were shot on New Year’s Eve in the city’s north end, as homicides stemming from intimate partner violence. Authorities responded to a call on Gottingen Street shortly after 10:30 p.m. on the night of the incident, discovering a deceased woman and an unresponsive man in a vehicle. Both suffered gunshot wounds, and the man later died in the hospital. The victims were identified as 40-year-old Cora-Lee Smith and her father, 73-year-old Bradford Downey.
A few hours later, at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, police were alerted to a man believed to be associated with the victims near the Halifax Commons. This individual, 39-year-old Matthew Costain, was found dead at the scene with gunshot injuries alongside a recovered firearm. Costain was known to be in a relationship with Ms. Smith.
The events have sparked renewed calls for addressing intimate partner violence, recognized as an epidemic in Nova Scotia. Data reveals a 20% increase in reported cases between 2014 and 2022, underscoring the urgency of the issue. The Mass Casualty Commission’s recommendations — stemming from the April 2020 mass shooting inquiry in Nova Scotia — included advising all Canadian governments to declare intimate partner and family violence an epidemic in need of a comprehensive societal response.
