Alicia Hill knew something was terribly wrong when she spotted a trail of shotgun shells leading up the stairs at 112 Fellers Avenue in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The neighbor, who lives just a few doors away, was exiting her home on Tuesday afternoon when she encountered a distraught neighbor with an eight-year-old boy he had found outside the residence.
The Horrifying Discovery
Driven by concern and an instinct to help, Hill entered the home with her neighbor. What she found at the top of the stairs would haunt her: Jennifer Jacobs lying dead on the couch with a blanket still draped over her, and her 11-year-old son Emmett Jacobs also deceased.
"I knew from the moment I came in that it wasn't safe," Hill recalled in an interview. "I saw the first shotgun shell and thought: 'This is not safe.' But your automatic instinct is to save people, to help people."
Neighbor's Immediate Response
Hill described the conflicting emotions she experienced: "You're thinking obviously somebody is hurt, somebody is in distress. But you're not thinking that you're going to walk into what you're walking into."
After discovering the bodies, Hill immediately returned to the young boy, put her arm around him, and called 9-1-1. She took him to her basement for safety before later moving him to the Twisted Seasons Bistro, a small café in downtown Tumbler Ridge where she knew one of the owners.
The Shooter's Path
By the time Hill made her discovery, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar had already left the home and traveled to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, located just minutes away. There, the shooter killed six more people before dying from a self-inflicted wound, according to police reports. More than twenty others were injured in the attack, with two sustaining life-threatening wounds.
The RCMP confirmed that Van Rootselaar, identified as a biological male, had begun identifying as female approximately six years prior to the incident.
Community in Shock
The February 10 murder spree represents one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history, sending shockwaves of anguish and disbelief through Tumbler Ridge. This quiet mountain town in northern British Columbia, traditionally known as a haven for hikers, hunters, and snowmobilers, has been transformed into an extensive crime scene with yellow police tape surrounding the high school and numerous police vehicles patrolling the streets.
The tragedy has thrust Tumbler Ridge into the national spotlight, drawing expressions of support from across Canada.
Police Investigation Details
RCMP investigators revealed that a shotgun seized from the home is believed to have been used to kill Van Rootselaar's mother and half-brother. Additional firearms, including a long gun and a modified rifle, were discovered at the school.
Police have been careful with identifying details about the young boy found at the scene. While eyewitnesses described him as eight years old and in fourth grade, RCMP Staff Sergeant Kris Clark declined to confirm his identity to media. In earlier updates, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald had mentioned a young female relative alerting a neighbor, though police have not clarified if this refers to the same boy Hill assisted.
Lasting Trauma
Hill shared that the boy expressed a desperate wish to forget the traumatic image of seeing his brother with bullet wounds. The community continues to grapple with the aftermath of violence that has forever altered this peaceful northern town.
