The suspect in a deadly school shooting in western Canada was an 18-year-old woman who allegedly killed her mother and stepbrother before attacking her former school. Investigators have not provided a motive for what is being described as one of the worst mass killings in Canada.
The suspect, who police identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, died by suicide after the shooting on Tuesday (10 February) in Tumbler Ridge, a remote community of 2,400 people in the Pacific province of British Columbia.
Police revised the death toll down to nine, including Van Rootselaar, from the initially reported 10.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Van Rootselaar had been apprehended multiple times under the provincial Mental Health Act for assessment.
Police had also responded to the family residence on several occasions over the years due to mental health concerns.
"I can say that Jesse was born as a biological male who approximately six years ago began to transition to female," Dwayne McDonald said.
She once attended the school but dropped out four years ago, police said.
Two additional victims were found at a residence in the town. Authorities later confirmed they were a 39-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy, the suspect’s mother and step-brother.
Those killed at the school included a 39-year-old female educator, three 12-year-old girls and two boys aged 12 and 13.
At least 25 people were injured in the attacks. Two victims who were airlifted remain in critical but stable condition, while others are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Dozens were injured overall, and two severely wounded victims remain in hospital.
Firearms had been seized from the family residence approximately two years ago under the Criminal Code but were later returned to the lawful owner following a legal petition. Authorities recovered two weapons at the scene, a long gun and a modified handgun.
Prime Minister Mark Carney described it as a “difficult day” for both Tumbler Ridge and Canada.
“Parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love,” Carney said. “The nation mourns with you. Canada stands by you.”
In a post on X, Carney said he was “devastated by today’s horrific shootings” and extended condolences to the families and friends of the victims. He thanked emergency responders and international leaders who expressed solidarity, including King Charles III, Canada’s head of state.
Flags at federal government buildings will fly at half-mast for the next week. Carney has suspended his schedule and cancelled his planned trip to the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Tumbler Ridge is a remote municipality with a population of around 2,400 people, set in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northern British Columbia, roughly 1,155 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
Images of the town show a snow-covered landscape surrounded by dense pine forest.
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has 160 students in grades seven through to 12, roughly ages 12 to 18 years old, according to its website. The school was closed for the rest of the week and counselling will be made available to those in need, school officials said.
Officials said the town's small police force was on the scene within two minutes of receiving a call, and that victims were still being assessed hours after the incident.
"This is a small, tight-knit community with a small RCMP detachment as well, who responded in two minutes, no doubt saving lives today," Nina Krieger, British Columbia's public safety minister, told reporters.
In April 2020, a 51-year-old man disguised as a police officer killed 22 people during a 13-hour rampage in Nova Scotia before being shot by police.
In December 1989, a gunman killed 14 female students and wounded 13 others at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique before killing himself.
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