Judge rules 16 names in Nova Scotia mass shooting warrants to remain redacted

HALIFAX — A Nova Scotia judge has ruled that the names of 16 people who gave statements to police following last April’s mass shooting will remain redacted.

In a written decision released today, Judge Laurel Halfpenny-MacQuarrie says there would be “serious risk” associated with publishing the names of people who are “simply conduits of information to the police and nothing more.”

Halfpenny-MacQuarrie says releasing the names will most likely lead to “speculation, public analysis and perhaps marginalization” that could have a lasting negative effect.

The judge added that the information they provided has been made public through various police documents that have already been gradually released following a court application from media outlets.