'Absolutely heartbroken': Widow of Mountie killed in 2014 says N.S. first responders need support

The wife of an RCMP officer killed in the line of duty in Moncton nearly six years ago says she's "absolutely heartbroken" for the families affected by the mass shootings in Nova Scotia and says first responders face a difficult road ahead.

Angela Gevaudan's husband, Codiac Regional RCMP Const. Fabrice Gevaudan, 45, was killed along with constables Doug Larche, 40, and Dave Ross, 32, in a shooting rampage in a residential neighbourhood on June 4, 2014. Constables Eric Dubois and Darlene Goguen were wounded.

Gevaudan is also a former 911 communicator dispatcher.

"I can't even imagine what it would be like to be responding and to have things unfold like it's been for them in Nova Scotia," she said Friday. "I can't imagine what it's like to have 16 scenes.

"The information that they would have been receiving in the 911 calls would have been so chaotic."

Police have confirmed 22 people were killed in the shooting spree Saturday night and Sunday in northern Nova Scotia. RCMP officers found victims on the road and in seven separate locations. The killer was eventually shot to death in Enfield, N.S.

Gevaudan said people involved will need a great deal of support. Since the death of her husband, she's been a vocal advocate for mental health support for victims, first responders and their families.

Police officers, paramedics and firefighters are trained to put their feelings aside to focus on helping others, she said.

"With time, and unfortunately incidents since the one here in Moncton, which was the most impactful to me on a personal level, I've learned to do things differently," saidGevaudan.

"I've learned the importance of allowing the space for my feelings and reactions, to feel them fully, as uncomfortable and difficult as they are, to let myself cry, to connect with what is helpful to me, and so I've been doing a lot of that.

"I hope that they're able to spend some time allowing space for theirs and feel supported, even with the restrictions of our current COVID-19 reality."

Mental health support

After her husband's murder, Gevaudan was diagnosed with a post t-traumatic stress injury. She suffers from flashbacks, night terrors and other symptoms triggered by events that have similarities to what happened in Moncton.

"It's not a linear process. It's messy," said Gevaudan.

"Things come up in ways that sometimes we don't understand, and post-traumatic stress, even though we've been learning a little bit more about it over these past few years, it's a very complex injury and it affects everybody differently."

Gevaudan said it's been challenging, but she's making progress. She's had counselling and therapy to help work through her trauma and grief, including help from one of the programs provided by Wounded Warriors Canada.

The organization offers mental health support for veterans, first responders and their families. This week, it launched a new effortto support those affected by the tragedy in Nova Scotia.

"I don't want to suggest that a person exposed to incidents involving this kind of violence will necessarily be injured," Gevaudan said. "But I think that it is possible and that we really need to be prepared to support them."

Community support

Seeing the outpouring of support for victims in Nova Scotia, Gevaudan remembers the candlelight vigils, flowers and cards, and messages she and the other surviving families received following the shootings in Moncton. She said it was powerful to know people were thinking and praying for her.

Gevaudan received hundreds of cards from people all over the world.

"I've read every single one of them," she said.

"I have them, I have keepsake boxes of those types of gestures, and still look at them from time to time because there's there's really something special about that and about knowing that people are wanting good things for you, and that they want you to find peace."