The death toll from the worst mass shooting in Canadian history rose to 19, including a police officer and the gunman, Canadian police said on Monday, adding that they expect fatalities from the weekend killings to rise further.

The gunman, who at one point masqueraded as a policeman and also painstakingly disguised his car to look like a police cruiser, shattered the peace of a rural community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia during a 12-hour rampage that started late on Saturday, authorities said on Sunday.

The shootings occurred in the small towns of Portapique, Truro, Milford and Enfield.

The RCMP identified the gunman as 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman, who worked as a denturist. Police are still searching for his motivation for the deadly rampage.