The BC RCMP has identified a person suspected of carrying out the mass-shooting incident that killed eight people and left many more injured in the small northeastern community of Tumbler Ridge Tuesday afternoon.
Eighteen-year-old female Jesse Van Rootselaar has been identified as the suspected shooter, whom police confirmed died by self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The local RCMP swarmed Tumbler Ridge Secondary School around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday and ordered the local area to hold in place for hours in reaction to what was later revealed to be a deadly active shooter investigation.
BC RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald says officers were shot at as they approached.
“Upon arrival, there was active gunfire. And as officers approached the school, rounds were fired in their direction. Officers entered the school to locate the threat. Within minutes, an individual confirmed to be the shooter was located deceased,” said McDonald.
“Two firearms, a long gun and a modified handgun were recovered by responding officers. Determining the origin of these firearms and what role they played in the shootings remains a significant part of the active and ongoing investigation.”
Suspect profile developing
Mounties say Van Rootselaar was a resident of the small town of approximately 2,400, with a history of interactions with police related to mental health concerns.
McDonald says Van Rootselaar had previously been apprehended under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital for assessment. He says police also seized firearms under the Criminal Code at another time.
“The lawful owner of those firearms petitioned.”
He says the RCMP is still investigating the guns involved in Tuesday’s shooting.
“The ownership of the firearms, how they were procured, whether they were lawfully owned, unlawfully owned, whether manufactured, and whether there could be any other parties to an offence that we are not yet aware of.”
Police believe the suspect acted alone, and no note has been found.
The RCMP, he says, have identified the suspect, a transgender woman, as she chose to identify publicly in life.
McDonald says Van Rootselaar dropped out of school four years ago and was not a student at the time of the shooting.
So far, police have not discovered any evidence that anyone at the school was specifically targeted.
“It is something that we are certainly passionately pursuing, but it would be too early to speculate on motive,” said McDonald.
Victims identified
McDonald says multiple victims were discovered dead throughout the school, and roughly 25 more were believed injured.
“Once it was determined to be safe, officers evacuated over 100 students and faculty to a local community centre. While police continued to assess whether any ongoing threats remained, those with potential injuries were transported to the local medical clinic for triage and assessment, and two victims with significant injuries were transported to hospital via air ambulance.”
McDonald also confirmed that one fewer than the initially suspected 10 people had died. He clarified that only nine, including Van Rootselaar, had died.
“Initially, it was believed that one of the victims, a female with significant injuries, who was transported from the scene by our members and then transitioned to paramedics, had succumbed to her injuries,” he explained.
“Police have since confirmed that is not the case. She is alive, and was one of the two female victims that were airlifted to hospital. Both of those victims remain in serious condition.”
McDonald says the killed victims range in age.
“The deceased victims from the school include an adult female educator, three female students, and two male students.”
He later clarified that the educator was a 39-year-old woman, the female students were all 12-year-old girls, and the male students were 12 and 13.
On Tuesday, police confirmed two more people had been discovered dead in a nearby home.
“Two additional victims, an adult female and a male youth, were located deceased at a local residence,” McDonald clarified Wednesday.
McDonald says the adult woman in the residence was the suspect’s 39-year-old mother, and the male youth was the suspect’s 11-year-old step-brother.
He says Van Rootselaar was not related to any of the victims in the school.
Further details about the victims, McDonald says will not be shared until the BC RCMP deems it appropriate.
“We need to approach this with a trauma-informed practice. We don’t want to create additional trauma for families that are dealing with probably the worst circumstances of their lives,” he explained.
McDonald says the majority of the surviving victims did not suffer gunshots, though many presented with injuries or were covered in blood and were triaged or treated out of an abundance of caution.
Canadian leaders respond
Prime Minister Mark Carney shared his government’s message of grief and hope Wednesday.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Carney said the horrific event has left the nation in shock.
The prime minister thanked the many first responders and RCMP officers who entered Tumbler Ridge Secondary School without hesitation, “not knowing what awaited them.”
He also thanked the school staff and teachers “who acted with extraordinary courage to protect the children in their care.”
“In the darkest of moments, they showed the best of our country.”
He said federal officials have been in contact with B.C. Premier David Eby and other local counterparts to coordinate Canada’s response.
Eby appeared before the media with Minister of Public Safety Nina Krieger Tuesday night.
The premier said the province’s role will be to make resources available to the community.
Krieger explained that those resources are on their way.
“Education Ministry staff have been in continued contact with the school district today, and we are actively mobilizing trauma and crisis response supports. We are sending trauma-informed counsellors to the region to support kids and their families during this time,” said Krieger.
“The school district will be making supports available, and once we have locations for where these supports will be, the district will share that information on social media. And we will be making sure services are available to members of the broader community who need it as well. There is a psychiatric liaison nurse working in the community right now and another starting tonight at 10 p.m. who will be working through the night on the ground in Tumbler Ridge.”
Krieger described the incident as “one of the worst mass shootings in our province’s and country’s history.”
She and Eby are expected to hold another media availability from Tumbler Ridge Wednesday evening.
“They are travelling with federal ministers Gary Anandasangaree and Gregor Robinson, who are representing the federal government on the ground in Tumbler Ridge,” a provincial statement explained.
“Provincial resources from across British Columbia are being mobilized to Tumbler Ridge to support the community, including mental-health and victims-services professionals. People are on the ground now, with more en route and preparing to travel.”
Meanwhile, the B.C. government also announced it will forego the planned Throne Speech scheduled for Thursday.
Instead, it said, “Thursday, Feb. 12, will be proclaimed a day of mourning in the province of British Columbia. At noon, the legislative assembly will stand for a moment of silence in honour of the victims in Tumbler Ridge, their families, and the entire community. The house will then adjourn. At 2 p.m., the lieutenant governor will deliver a speech in the house dedicated to the people of Tumbler Ridge, followed by brief legally required procedures.”
In an interview with CityNews, MP Bob Zimmer says he is currently on his way to Tumbler Ridge, which lies within his riding.
“We just need to be there to do what we can to help,” he said.
Zimmer remembers when he first heard about the shooting and the emergency alert; he hoped it was an isolated event.
“But then the situation soon grew much darker. And then we started hearing some of the numbers come in,” he said.
“Just a terrible situation. You are always sort of optimistic; you wanted things to be better, but it didn’t turn out that way.”
He says the town’s residents are “beautiful people” who live out there because of the tight-knit community they find.
He describes his constituents as “hard-working people” who love their families.
“So, it’s particularly shocking that this happened there and just very sad.”
Zimmer asked people to pray for peace for the families that have lost loved ones and for the families whose loved ones are currently in the hospital with injuries.
–With files from The Canadian Press, Emma Crawford, Jan Schuermann, Srushti Gangdev, Maria Vinca, John Ackermann, Ridley Wilson, Michael Williams, Cecilia Hua, Jack Rabb, Kurt Black, Shravan Raghavan, Mike Lloyd, Erin Conners, Nima Rajan, Tom Walters, Jon Kennedy, Ovais Mangalwala, Chad Harris, Remy Vaillancourt, Sarah Jones,
The BC RCMP has identified a person suspected of carrying out the mass-shooting incident that killed nine people and left many more injured in the small northeastern community of Tumbler Ridge Tuesday afternoon. Local
The BC RCMP has identified a person suspected of carrying out the mass-shooting incident that killed eight people and left many more injured in the small northeastern community of Tumbler Ridge Tuesday afternoon.
Eighteen-year-old female Jesse Van Rootselaar has been identified as the suspected shooter, whom police confirmed died by self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The local RCMP swarmed Tumbler Ridge Secondary School around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday and ordered the local area to hold in place for hours in reaction to what was later revealed to be a deadly active shooter investigation.
BC RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald says officers were shot at as they approached.
“Upon arrival, there was active gunfire. And as officers approached the school, rounds were fired in their direction. Officers entered the school to locate the threat. Within minutes, an individual confirmed to be the shooter was located deceased,” said McDonald.
“Two firearms, a long gun and a modified handgun were recovered by responding officers. Determining the origin of these firearms and what role they played in the shootings remains a significant part of the active and ongoing investigation.”
Suspect profile developing
Mounties say Van Rootselaar was a resident of the small town of approximately 2,400, with a history of interactions with police related to mental health concerns.
McDonald says Van Rootselaar had previously been apprehended under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital for assessment. He says police also seized firearms under the Criminal Code at another time.
“The lawful owner of those firearms petitioned.”
He says the RCMP is still investigating the guns involved in Tuesday’s shooting.
“The ownership of the firearms, how they were procured, whether they were lawfully owned, unlawfully owned, whether manufactured, and whether there could be any other parties to an offence that we are not yet aware of.”
Police believe the suspect acted alone, and no note has been found.
The RCMP, he says, have identified the suspect, a transgender woman, as she chose to identify publicly in life.
McDonald says Van Rootselaar dropped out of school four years ago and was not a student at the time of the shooting.
So far, police have not discovered any evidence that anyone at the school was specifically targeted.
“It is something that we are certainly passionately pursuing, but it would be too early to speculate on motive,” said McDonald.
Victims identified
McDonald says multiple victims were discovered dead throughout the school, and roughly 25 more were believed injured.
“Once it was determined to be safe, officers evacuated over 100 students and faculty to a local community centre. While police continued to assess whether any ongoing threats remained, those with potential injuries were transported to the local medical clinic for triage and assessment, and two victims with significant injuries were transported to hospital via air ambulance.”
McDonald also confirmed that one fewer than the initially suspected 10 people had died. He clarified that only nine, including Van Rootselaar, had died.
“Initially, it was believed that one of the victims, a female with significant injuries, who was transported from the scene by our members and then transitioned to paramedics, had succumbed to her injuries,” he explained.
“Police have since confirmed that is not the case. She is alive, and was one of the two female victims that were airlifted to hospital. Both of those victims remain in serious condition.”
McDonald says the killed victims range in age.
“The deceased victims from the school include an adult female educator, three female students, and two male students.”
He later clarified that the educator was a 39-year-old woman, the female students were all 12-year-old girls, and the male students were 12 and 13.
On Tuesday, police confirmed two more people had been discovered dead in a nearby home.
“Two additional victims, an adult female and a male youth, were located deceased at a local residence,” McDonald clarified Wednesday.
McDonald says the adult woman in the residence was the suspect’s 39-year-old mother, and the male youth was the suspect’s 11-year-old step-brother.
He says Van Rootselaar was not related to any of the victims in the school.
Further details about the victims, McDonald says will not be shared until the BC RCMP deems it appropriate.
“We need to approach this with a trauma-informed practice. We don’t want to create additional trauma for families that are dealing with probably the worst circumstances of their lives,” he explained.
McDonald says the majority of the surviving victims did not suffer gunshots, though many presented with injuries or were covered in blood and were triaged or treated out of an abundance of caution.
Canadian leaders respond
Prime Minister Mark Carney shared his government’s message of grief and hope Wednesday.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Carney said the horrific event has left the nation in shock.
The prime minister thanked the many first responders and RCMP officers who entered Tumbler Ridge Secondary School without hesitation, “not knowing what awaited them.”
He also thanked the school staff and teachers “who acted with extraordinary courage to protect the children in their care.”
“In the darkest of moments, they showed the best of our country.”
He said federal officials have been in contact with B.C. Premier David Eby and other local counterparts to coordinate Canada’s response.
Eby appeared before the media with Minister of Public Safety Nina Krieger Tuesday night.
The premier said the province’s role will be to make resources available to the community.
Krieger explained that those resources are on their way.
“Education Ministry staff have been in continued contact with the school district today, and we are actively mobilizing trauma and crisis response supports. We are sending trauma-informed counsellors to the region to support kids and their families during this time,” said Krieger.
“The school district will be making supports available, and once we have locations for where these supports will be, the district will share that information on social media. And we will be making sure services are available to members of the broader community who need it as well. There is a psychiatric liaison nurse working in the community right now and another starting tonight at 10 p.m. who will be working through the night on the ground in Tumbler Ridge.”
Krieger described the incident as “one of the worst mass shootings in our province’s and country’s history.”
She and Eby are expected to hold another media availability from Tumbler Ridge Wednesday evening.
“They are travelling with federal ministers Gary Anandasangaree and Gregor Robinson, who are representing the federal government on the ground in Tumbler Ridge,” a provincial statement explained.
“Provincial resources from across British Columbia are being mobilized to Tumbler Ridge to support the community, including mental-health and victims-services professionals. People are on the ground now, with more en route and preparing to travel.”
Meanwhile, the B.C. government also announced it will forego the planned Throne Speech scheduled for Thursday.
Instead, it said, “Thursday, Feb. 12, will be proclaimed a day of mourning in the province of British Columbia. At noon, the legislative assembly will stand for a moment of silence in honour of the victims in Tumbler Ridge, their families, and the entire community. The house will then adjourn. At 2 p.m., the lieutenant governor will deliver a speech in the house dedicated to the people of Tumbler Ridge, followed by brief legally required procedures.”
In an interview with CityNews, MP Bob Zimmer says he is currently on his way to Tumbler Ridge, which lies within his riding.
“We just need to be there to do what we can to help,” he said.
Zimmer remembers when he first heard about the shooting and the emergency alert; he hoped it was an isolated event.
“But then the situation soon grew much darker. And then we started hearing some of the numbers come in,” he said.
“Just a terrible situation. You are always sort of optimistic; you wanted things to be better, but it didn’t turn out that way.”
He says the town’s residents are “beautiful people” who live out there because of the tight-knit community they find.
He describes his constituents as “hard-working people” who love their families.
“So, it’s particularly shocking that this happened there and just very sad.”
Zimmer asked people to pray for peace for the families that have lost loved ones and for the families whose loved ones are currently in the hospital with injuries.
–With files from The Canadian Press, Emma Crawford, Jan Schuermann, Srushti Gangdev, Maria Vinca, John Ackermann, Ridley Wilson, Michael Williams, Cecilia Hua, Jack Rabb, Kurt Black, Shravan Raghavan, Mike Lloyd, Erin Conners, Nima Rajan, Tom Walters, Jon Kennedy, Ovais Mangalwala, Chad Harris, Remy Vaillancourt, Sarah Jones,