Tumbler Ridge, Feb 12— An 18-year-old former student killed her mother and stepbrother at home before carrying out a deadly shooting at a school in the remote Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, leaving nine people dead including the suspect, police said on Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) identified the suspect as Jesse Van Rootselaar, who died by suicide after the attack on Tuesday. Police revised the death toll to nine, down from an earlier figure of 10.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, RCMP commander in British Columbia, said Van Rootselaar first shot her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at the family residence, then went to her former school, where she opened fire.
“She once attended the school but dropped out four years ago,” McDonald said. “We do believe the suspect acted alone. It would be too early to speculate on motive.”
At the school, a 39-year-old woman teacher, three 12-year-old girls, and two boys aged 12 and 13 were killed, police said. Dozens were injured. Two victims, aged 12 and 19, remain hospitalised with severe injuries.
Police said officers arrived within two minutes of the first emergency call and encountered active gunfire, including shots fired in their direction, before finding the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound. Investigators recovered a long gun and a modified handgun.
McDonald said Van Rootselaar had been apprehended on more than one occasion under the provincial Mental Health Act for assessment.
“Police had attended that residence on multiple occasions over the past several years, dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect,” he said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, visibly shaken, said the country was in shock and mourning.
“We will get through this. We will learn from this,” Carney told reporters, announcing that flags on government buildings would fly at half-mast for seven days. He later postponed a planned trip to Europe.
Speaking in the House of Commons after a moment of silence, Carney said the loss had devastated a close-knit community.
“It is a town of miners, teachers, construction workers — families who have built their lives there,” he said. “Tumbler Ridge represents the very best of Canada.”
Messages of condolence poured in from leaders worldwide. King Charles, Canada’s head of state, said he was “profoundly shocked and saddened” by the deaths.
Details of the victims began emerging on Wednesday. In a Facebook post, Abel Mwansa said his 12-year-old son, Abel, was among those killed. “He loved going to school,” Mwansa wrote, adding that he had raised his son to “be strong, work hard… and be a good kid.”
Another family member, Shanon Dycke, said her 12-year-old niece, Kylie May Smith, had also died. “Pray for the other families who have lost their child, or are waiting to hear news,” she wrote. “Just pray for Tumbler Ridge.”
Residents described the shock in the town of about 2,400 people.
“Everybody knows everybody,” said Jordon Kosik, a local resident. “People don’t lock their homes. They don’t lock their cars.”
McDonald said police had seized firearms from the family residence about two years ago but returned them after the owner successfully appealed. Van Rootselaar previously held a firearms licence that expired in 2024, police said.
School shootings are rare in Canada, which has stricter gun laws than the United States. The attack ranks among the deadliest in Canadian history, alongside the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting that killed 22 people and the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique massacre in Montreal.
“There’s not a word in the English language strong enough to describe the devastation this community has experienced,” said Larry Neufeld, a provincial legislator. “It’s going to take a significant amount of effort and courage to repair that terror.”