'The latest victim of an unfolding tragedy': Brother of 2020 Portapique shooting victim dies suddenly – PNI Atlantic News

Clinton Ellison’s brother Corrie was killed in the shooting rampage. Clinton, who died in a car in Fredericton, struggled since
The brother of a man killed in the April 2020 Portapique shooting has died, the latest person connected to a victim of the crime to do so.
Subscribe now to access this story and more:
Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.
Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.
Clinton Ellison’s brother Corrie was killed by the gunman after he went to investigate the glow from a fire. Clinton found him on a road when he went looking for him a while later, and then spent several hours hiding in the woods until help arrived.  
Last Tuesday in Fredericton, Clinton was found dead in a vehicle on Prospect Street in Fredericton after police responded to a report around 10:45 a.m. of an individual with a weapon in a car. 
Police had the area cordoned off and briefly placed a hold and secure order on nearby schools, before confirming that the individual was deceased. They said they wouldn’t be releasing any other information. 
In an interview with CBC a few days after the 2020 shootings, Clinton said that the night was the most terrifying thing he had ever experienced and “I’ll be traumatized for the rest of my life.” 
He was, says journalist Stephen Maher. Maher covered the shootings and their aftermath for MacLean’s magazine and is working on a documentary podcast about the tragedy for CBC. 
“I never spoke with Clinton, but I’ve spoken to (relatives and friends) about him, including very recently, and I believe that he is the latest victim of an unfolding tragedy,” Maher said. 
He said he did get a message back from Clinton in the weeks after the shooting after he reached out asking for an interview, but the brief response was that he was too traumatized. 
“After that I didn’t try again, but I did speak to other people about him,” Maher said  
He said Clinton struggled in the years since the shooting. 
Clinton’s stepfather, Wayne Smith of Salmon River, said Clinton had struggled in the years since the shooting. 
He said while there were supports available to Clinton, they weren’t enough. He’s at least the third person with a connection to the shootings to die suddenly.  
Smith, who knew the brothers since they were five and seven years old, said Clinton would want his death to be a message that the shootings are still having an impact and people are still hurting, and he hopes that’s what people will take from it. 
“Definitely if you need help, be persistent on looking for help and talking to the right people,” he said. “If one doesn’t do it for you, talk to somebody else… always communicate with people.” 
He said he’s not sure what took Clinton to Fredericton that day, but that he was not living in the city. 
Smith said it was a shock when he found out Clinton had died because while police had notified his father, the contact information the New Brunswick coroner’s office had was for Smith, and he found out when they called and left a message on his phone to arrange for the transfer of his body to Nova Scotia.  
Smith, who owns a welding shop, creates memorial sculptures, including one called The Broken Heart that is on the property of his shop and has the names of all the victims of the shooting. He has a website that includes the sculptures and memorial poetry. He said Clinton and others have gone to the sculpture to reflect. 
Clinton and Corrie were in Portapique to visit their father when the shootings happened. 
Among those with connections to the shooting and its victims who have died in the ensuing years was Leon Joudrey, who passed away in late October 2022. Like Ellison’s, police said the death was not being investigated as a criminal matter. 
The year after the murders, Joudrey said in an interview with The Chronicle Herald that he felt lucky to be alive. After waking up at 3 a.m. on April 19, 2020, and seeing texts about fires, he drove around the community without realizing his friends and neighbours had been killed. Later, he had to call 911 when the shooter’s spouse showed up at his home. 
“Things could have went the other way,” he said at the time. “I just fell asleep at the right time or I would have drove down there and been shot too.” 
Our favourite gifts under $20, $50, $100 and $200
Featuring RAYE, Bruno Mars and Hilary Duff, plus more artists touring Ontario this year
The Fray, ROSALÍA and Daniel Caesar are on sale now
Thrilling outdoor adventures to shake up your summer plans
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4
© 2026 PNI Atlantic News, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.
This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

source