Halifax police are investigating three deaths that are connected – two of which they say were homicides resulting from intimate partner violence – in the city on New Year’s Eve.
Halifax Regional Police responded to a report of an injured person in the 2400 block of Gottingen Street around 10:35 p.m. Tuesday.
Police found the body of a woman and an unresponsive man inside a vehicle. They say both had been shot. The man was taken to hospital, where he died from his injuries.
A few hours later, around 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 Common.
Officers responded to the scene, where they found the man dead from a gunshot wound. Police say they recovered a firearm from the scene.
Victims identified as father, daughter
Autopsies have confirmed the man and woman found in the vehicle were both homicide victims. They have been identified as 40-year-old Cora-Lee Smith and 73-year-old Bradford Downey.
The man found dead at the Halifax Common has been identified at 39-year-old Matthew Costain, who police say was in a relationship with Smith.
Police say Costain’s death is still under investigation, in coordination with the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service.
“The homicides are believed to be incidents of intimate partner violence. At this time, police are not looking for any other suspects,” said Halifax Regional Police Const. Martin Cromwell in a news release.
“The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone who may have additional information is asked to call police at 902-490-5020.”
No other details about the deaths have been released at this time.
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