Canadian police say eight people have been killed in a mass shooting at a school and home in the remote rural community of Tumbler Ridge in the western province of British Columbia.
Six people were killed and at least 25 others were injured at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. The suspect, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot injury, police said.
Two others – the suspect’s mother, 39, and step-brother, 11 – were also found dead at a nearby home.
This is what we know so far about one of the deadliest gun attacks in Canada’s history.
When did the attack start?
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they received a report of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School at 13:30 local time on Tuesday (20:30 GMT).
The police responded by deploying officers to the scene, and issuing an active shooter alert for the rural community and a surrounding area.
“Shelter in place, lock your doors and refrain from leaving your home or business at this time” local residents were told.
British Columbia’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Nina Krieger said police officers arrived at Tumbler Ridge Secondary school “within two minutes” of receiving the call of an active shooting.
She said such a swift response “no doubt” saved lives.
Police said they were called at around 13:47 local time to the incident at the house.
The incident at the home occurred first, then the suspect went to the school, officials said.
The motive for the attack is not yet known.
Tumbler Ridge has about 2,400 residents, and its secondary school has 160 students in Grades 7-12.
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British Columbia’s Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger said it was a “devastating day”
What we know about the victims
Six people were killed at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, including a 39-year-old female educator, three female students, all aged 12, and two male students, one aged 12 and the other 13.
The majority of the 25 others who were injured did not sustain gunshot wounds, police said.
Two others – the suspect’s mother, 39, and step-brother, 11 – were found dead at a nearby home.
What is known about the suspected attacker
Police identified the suspect as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a former student who had dropped out four years ago.
The suspect was found dead inside the school with a self-inflicted injury following the shootings.
Authorities said that the suspect was born a biological male but identified as a woman.
“I can say that Jesse was born as a biological male who approximately six years ago began to transition to female,” Dwayne McDonald, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) deputy commissioner, told reporters.
McDonald said police had attended the suspect’s family home on multiple occasions over the past several years, with some calls related to mental health concerns. Police were last in contact with Van Rootselaar sometime last year, he added.
Van Rootselaar previously had a valid gun licence that had since lapsed, McDonald said.
Trent Ernst/Tumbler RidgeLines
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School – seen in this archive photo – has 160 students
‘We got tables and barricaded the door’ – a survivor’s account
Darian Quist, a Grade 12 student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, and his mother Shelley Quist, spoke to CBC Radio West host Sarah Penton about what happened.
Darian said shortly after he got to his class at 13:30 local time, an alarm sounded in the hallways with instructions to close the doors because of a lockdown.
He said the doors were closed for a while, when he and his classmates realised something was wrong.
He said he was receiving photos on his phone from the scene.
“We got tables and barricaded the doors” for over two hours, Darian said, until police arrived to escort them out of the school.
Once outside, he reunited with his mother at a nearby community centre.
Shelley Quist said that on her phone she had earlier heard police “kicking” her son’s classroom door down and several students being escorted out of the school.
“That’s when I left home. We live very close; a block away from the community centre. I literally almost ran over there,” she told CBC.
How Canada reacted to the attack
Watch: Emotional PM Mark Carney says Canada ‘mourns’ with victims’ families
Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka told CBC that the community is small and tight-knit, and that he expected the victims to all be people he knows.
“I will know every victim. I’ve been here 19 years, and we’re a small community,” he said, after emerging from the town hall when the shelter-in-place order was lifted.
“I don’t call them residents. I call them family.”
Tumbler Ridge town councillor Chris Norbury told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the whole community was in shock after the shootings.
“We don’t lock our doors here. It is an incredibly safe community… we don’t have to worry about crime here,” he said, speaking live from the scene.
“This is a big tragedy here,” he said.
The councillor described going to the secondary school and seeing emergency services blocking the entrance.
“We have three police vehicles in our town, we are very small. We are a small community. We know each other, we all know the victims. They are our friends, our friends’ children.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby described the shootings as “a devastating and unimaginable tragedy”.
“We can’t imagine what the community is going through. But I know it’s causing us to all hug our kids a little bit tighter tonight,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to suspend a planned trip to Germany, and in emotional remarks, and lamented the “difficult day” – the first of many in the aftermath of the attack.
“The nation mourns with you. Canada stands by you,” he said.
“We will get through this. But right now it is a time to come together, like Canadians do in these terrible situations. To support each other, to mourn together and to grow together.”
Where is Tumbler Ridge?
The rural community is located about 670km (415 miles) north-east of Vancouver.
It is primarily known for its coal mines, and also the discovery of dinosaur fossils – with Tumbler Ridge marketing itself as the land of dinosaurs and waterfalls to attract tourists.
What are Canada’s gun laws?
In Canada, gun ownership is largely federally regulated – by the national government – and there are stricter gun laws in place than most US states.
Under the country’s Firearms Act, guns must be kept locked and unloaded. Anyone wishing to buy a firearm is also subject to extensive background checks.
A national freeze on private ownership of all short-barrelled firearms has also been in place in Canada since 2022.
That said, there a number of people across the country who own guns – particularly in rural areas.
In the past, Canada’s Department of Justice have reported that British Columbia – where Tumbler Ridge Secondary School is located – has a higher ownership of handguns than elsewhere in the country.
