Canada Mourns After School Shooting in Remote B.C. Leaves Nine Dead, Dozens Wounded
Police in British Columbia have identified the suspect in a devastating school shooting as an 18-year-old with prior mental health calls to her home, found dead after an attack that claimed nine lives in the remote community of Tumbler Ridge. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald revealed that Jesse Van Rootselaar had a history of mental health contact with authorities, and the suspect's mother and stepbrother were also discovered deceased in a nearby residence. The motive behind Tuesday's tragedy remains unclear, casting a shadow over the small mountain village.
Community in Shock as Casualties Mount
More than 25 individuals were wounded in the assault, including two with life-threatening injuries who required airlift for urgent medical care. The village, nestled in the Canadian Rockies over 1,000 kilometers northeast of Vancouver near the Alberta border, is home to just 2,700 residents. "Parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love. The nation mourns with you, and Canada stands by you," an emotional Prime Minister Mark Carney declared upon arriving in Parliament. This incident marks Canada's deadliest rampage since 2020, when a gunman in Nova Scotia killed 13 people and set fires that resulted in nine additional deaths.
Carney announced that flags at government buildings will be flown at half-staff for seven days, affirming, "We will get through this." He canceled a planned trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Munich, Germany, where he was scheduled to unveil a defense industrial strategy and attend the Munich Security Conference. British Columbia Premier David Eby expressed his condolences, stating he had discussed the "unimaginable tragedy" with the prime minister and urging residents to support the grieving community.
Eyewitness Accounts and Police Response
Shelley Quist, a local resident, shared harrowing details of the aftermath. Her neighbor lost her 12-year-old son, with Quist recounting, "We heard his mom. She was in the street crying. She wanted her son's body." Quist's 17-year-old son, Darian, was among the 175 students at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, grades 7 to 12, who endured a lockdown for over two hours. She noted that the shooter targeted the library where younger students were gathered, a place her son had been just 15 minutes prior. Quist, working at a nearby hospital during the incident, was prevented from rushing to the school by a coworker but managed to confirm her son's safety by phone.
Police responded swiftly, with Eby reporting that officers reached the school within two minutes. A video depicted students exiting with hands raised as police vehicles encircled the building and a helicopter hovered above. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Ken Floyd confirmed six fatalities at the scene, a seventh en route to the hospital, and two more at a residence linked to the attack. While investigators have identified the suspect, they withheld the name pending further inquiry into connections with the victims.
Rare Tragedy in a Nation with Strict Gun Laws
School shootings are uncommon in Canada, which enforces stringent gun-control regulations. In response to previous mass shootings, the government has implemented measures, including a recently expanded ban on firearms classified as assault weapons. The community of Tumbler Ridge, described by Mayor Darryl Krakowka as a "big family," is reeling from the loss. "I broke down," Krakowka admitted. "I have lived here for 18 years. I probably know every one of the victims."
The Rev. George Rowe of the Tumbler Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church, who once taught at the high school and saw his three children graduate from there, visited a recreation center where families awaited news. "It was not a pretty sight. Families are still waiting to hear if it's their child that's deceased and because of protocol and procedure, the investigating team is very careful in releasing names," Rowe said. He reflected on the lasting impact, adding, "To walk through the corridors of that school will never be the same again."
In the wake of the shooting, the school district has closed the high school and elementary school for the remainder of the week. As the nation grapples with this tragedy, Premier Eby's words resonate: "I know it's causing us all to hug our kids a little bit tighter tonight. I'm asking the people of British Columbia to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight."
