Canadian police name suspect in school massacre that claimed nine lives

According to Rokna, citing The Guardian, the attack unfolded Tuesday in the town of Tumbler Ridge, located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Six people — one teacher and five students — were killed at the school. Police later discovered the bodies of the suspect’s 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at the family residence. The alleged gunwoman was also found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Officials described the tragedy as one of the most severe mass-casualty incidents in Canada’s recent history.

“This is a profoundly distressing event in which nine individuals senselessly lost their lives,” said Dwayne McDonald, deputy commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), during a Wednesday briefing. He revised the death toll to nine, down from the initially reported 10.

In an update that brought a small measure of relief, McDonald said one victim previously believed to have died had survived but remains in critical condition.

Police identified the suspect as Jesse Van Rootselaar. Authorities said she arrived at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon armed with a long gun and a modified handgun. She allegedly opened fire on students and staff, killing one teacher and five students between the ages of 12 and 13.

Officers reached the scene within two minutes and came under fire. Upon entering the building, they located victims in a stairwell and a classroom, along with the suspect’s body.

Subsequently, police went to the family home and found Van Rootselaar’s mother and stepbrother dead from gunshot wounds. According to McDonald, those killings occurred before the school shooting.

He added that over several years, officers had responded to mental health-related calls at the suspect’s home, some involving weapons. On at least one occasion, firearms were confiscated, though the registered owner later applied to have them returned.

Addressing questions about how the suspect was described in public alerts, McDonald stated that police “identified the suspect as they chose to be identified” publicly and on social media.

“Jesse was born biologically male and, about six years ago, began transitioning to female and identified as female socially and publicly,” he said.

Investigators emphasized that the probe remains in its early stages and that no motive has yet been determined.

Dennis Campbell, a Tumbler Ridge resident, told CBC that his daughter had just exited a school bathroom when the shooting began. She ran to the gymnasium and hid there.

“Dad, there’s a shooting here,” Campbell recalled her saying, adding that she is grieving the loss of four friends.

Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the nation, saying: “What happened has left our country in shock and all of us in mourning.”

“These children and their teachers witnessed unimaginable cruelty. I want you to know that the entire country stands with you,” he said following a moment of silence in parliament.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Carney described Tumbler Ridge as one of British Columbia’s youngest towns, established in the 1980s and built through the determination of its residents — miners, teachers, construction workers and families who support one another.

The prime minister, who canceled plans to attend the Munich Security Conference in Germany, ordered flags on federal buildings to be lowered to half-mast for seven days.

“We will get through this. We will learn from this,” Carney said earlier, visibly emotional. “But right now is a time to come together, to support one another, to mourn together and to grow together.”

Mass shootings are relatively uncommon in Canada compared with the United States. Although gun ownership rates are comparatively high, Canada enforces stricter regulations, including a ban on assault-style weapons and a freeze on handgun sales.

Carney also announced that federal public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree would travel to Tumbler Ridge, a community of fewer than 2,500 residents located more than 1,000 kilometers northeast of Vancouver.

Police said at least two others remain hospitalized with serious or life-threatening injuries, while up to 25 people were treated for less severe wounds.

Mayor Darryl Krakowka described the town as “like a big family.”

“I broke down,” he said. “I’ve lived here 18 years. I likely know every one of the victims.”

British Columbia’s public safety minister, Nina Krieger, said the swift and professional response by RCMP officers — who arrived within two minutes — helped prevent further loss of life.

A 12-year-old girl remains in critical condition in a Vancouver hospital after being shot in the head and neck, according to a Facebook post widely shared and reportedly written by her mother, Cia Edmonds.

“She was one of the lucky ones, I suppose. My condolences to the other families,” the post read. “It doesn’t even feel real.”

In a statement, the district of Tumbler Ridge called the shooting “deeply distressing” and acknowledged that residents may feel shocked and overwhelmed. Officials urged community members to support one another in the days ahead.

The secondary school, which enrolls 160 students in grades seven through 12, will remain closed for the rest of the week. Counseling services will be offered to students and staff.

“Our priority is caring for one another and restoring a sense of safety in our community,” school officials said.

The Tumbler Ridge Parent Advisory Council said no words can ease the fear and pain caused by such events and thanked first responders for their swift action.

The tragedy ranks as the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. In 1989, a gunman killed 14 women at Montreal’s École Polytechnique. In 2016, five people were killed in shootings in La Loche, Saskatchewan.

Following Canada’s deadliest mass shooting — which left 22 people dead in Nova Scotia in 2020 — the federal government banned approximately 1,500 models of assault-style firearms.

British Columbia Premier David Eby described Tuesday’s events as an “unimaginable tragedy.”

“As a father of three, it makes you want to hold your children a little closer,” he said. “Surround these families with love — not only tonight, but in the days and years ahead. This will be felt for a long time.”