The man who fatally shot his girlfriend and her father on New Year’s Eve in Halifax before killing himself was wanted by Toronto police in relation to a nightclub shooting in 2019.
Halifax Regional Police confirmed Friday that Matthew Costain, 39, who is the sole suspect in the double homicide, is the same Matthew Costain with an outstanding arrest warrant in Ontario.
The Toronto Police Service told CBC News Costain was wanted for “several 2019 firearm offences in Toronto.”
According to the Toronto Sun, Costain was a suspect in a shooting at a packed nightclub in North York in August 2019.
Toronto Police said they found five victims at the nightclub, including one male in life-threatening condition and four others, including two females, in non-life-threatening condition.
Offences dating back 20 years
Costain has never been convicted of a crime in Nova Scotia but he has a lengthy criminal record in Ontario, where he grew up. Two decades ago, he faced armed robbery and firearms charges and was sentenced to two years in jail.
In 2014, he was sentenced to five years and nine months after being found guilty of firearms offences. He was credited for already having served two years on remand.
Reporting by the Fort Erie Times says when Costain was in jail in 2014, he was charged with assaulting three other inmates.
The Toronto Star has also reported on Costain’s history in Ontario, including an excerpt from a sworn affidavit he gave as part of a 2016 lawsuit on solitary confinement.
History of domestic violence
In addition to the charges he has faced, court records provide some other insight into Costain’s past.
A 2010 court decision reveals that Costain had a history of physically abusing a past partner.
Police are now investigating a third death, which they say is connected to the murders. Taryn Grant has the latest.
A sentencing decision from 2014 notes that Costain had “a serious drug problem,” and was using crack cocaine daily.
Costain’s victims in Halifax were 40-year-old Corelee “Alisha” Smith and her 73-year-old father, Bradford “Coy” Downey, who are being mourned by their community of North Preston.
Police have called the killings an act of intimate partner violence, marking the latest in a string of domestic homicides in Nova Scotia in recent months.
North Preston has been shaken by the deaths of Bradford Downey and Corelee Smith. Luke Ettinger has the story.
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to get help:
- A list of transition houses across Nova Scotia.
- Family violence resources helpline 1-855-225-0220.
- The Transition Housing Association of Nova Scotia website.
- Canada’s Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
- Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
- Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
- This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you’re worried about.