By Julie Chadwick

Accused Nanaimo mill shooter diagnosed with major depression months before attack

Sep 14, 2016 | 6:07 PM

NANAIMO — The cut-off portion of a gun barrel and a gun case stocked with firearms and ammunition were found at Kevin Addison’s residence when searched by police one day after the Nanaimo mill shooting, Cpl. Michael Eggen of the RCMP testified today.

A sawed-off Winchester 12-gauge shotgun was recovered from the scene of the deadly mill shooting that left two dead and two injured on April 30, 2014. A member of the RCMP’s forensic identification unit said the firearm seized also had a stock that was cut and taped up with black electrical tape.

Police began to search Addison’s two-bedroom upper floor residence on Kennedy Street just after 9:40 a.m. on May 1, 2014 to gather evidence and take photos.

In what appeared to be Addison’s bedroom, Eggen said they found the cut off portion of a black cylindrical gun barrel, which was lying on a yellow safety vest.

Beside the bed and covered with a striped blanket was a gun safe that contained nine long guns, said Eggen, including two Lee Enfield British bolt-action rifles with magazines and a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun. There was also ammunition within the case in the bedroom, and a live shotgun round was found on the carpet in front of the case, he said.

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Other items of interest seized at the residence were a roll of black electrical tape, hacksaw blades and an electric-powered grinder, which were located in the kitchen, said Eggen.

A green garbage can was brought in from the porch and when police searched its contents they found remnants of a sawdust-like material, a blue hacksaw blade broken into pieces, part of a metal file, the wooden stock of a firearm that said “Winchester” and had saw marks at the end, pieces of wooden doweling, rubber surgical tubing and a trigger lock that appeared to be damaged or forced open, said Eggen. All these items had been wrapped up in a blue towel.

“After finding these, I believe these were items related to the firearm that had been seized at the mill,” said Eggen.

Overall the house they searched was very neat and tidy, noted Eggen. The fridge was almost completely empty other than a few condiments, a feature Eggen said stood out as unusual.

Addison is currently on trial for two counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in relation to the mill shooting.

Further insight into Addison’s mental and emotional state in early 2014 was delivered Wednesday by his family physician, Dr. Robin Love.

Addison was “tearful and upset” during an appointment on Jan. 15, 2014, Dr. Love said.

According to the notes the doctor wrote at the time, Addison had been “quite depressed for some time,” he said.

“It sounds like this started a couple of years ago, when the sawmill temporarily shut down, and then when they reopened he was not rehired despite his seniority,” Dr. Love read from his notes, while on the stand. He said he also wrote, “The union would not stick up for him so there must be a complicated story there.”

Another factor Addison mentioned during the appointment was that he had got into “pretty significant” financial trouble, said Dr. Love. At the time he was working at another sawmill where he was a junior guy and Dr. Love said he got the impression Addison found that difficult.

“I concluded, ‘He is starting to become a bit socially phobic. He has trouble talking to people, doesn’t want to go out, doesn’t want to go to work etc.’”

Dr. Love said his diagnosis was major depression, and he gave Addison a 20 mg prescription for Celexa and asked him to come back for a follow-up appointment in a few weeks.

Addison did not return, he said.

The trial is expected to run for approximately another two weeks.