Guns and mental health struggles: What the apparent online footprint of the Canada school shooter tells us
The suspect in Canada’s Tumbler Ridge mass shooting posted about guns and hunting on her YouTube channel and appeared to have written about her struggles with mental health online, according to social media posts.
Canadian police named 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar as the shooter who killed her mother and 11-year-old stepbrother before opening fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, killing five students and a teacher and then fatally shooting herself. Police are still investigating and have not determined a motive.
Van Rootselaar, who was transgender, transitioned about six years ago, according to police. She was a resident of the remote town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia and had dropped out of school about four years ago.
According to social media posts, verified by CNN, Van Rootselaar had access to guns and was enthusiastic about hunting.
Jennifer Strang, the suspected shooter’s mother, posted a photo to Facebook in 2024 of a cabinet holding what appears to be six hunting rifles, with the caption “Think it’s time to take them out for some target practice.”
Van Rootselaar spoke about hunting and guns on a YouTube channel, according to a 2021 Facebook post by Strang.
Strang posted a link to what she described as Van Rootselaar’s YouTube channel, which contains “posts about hunting, self-reliance, guns and stuff (she) likes to do.” Strang encouraged her friends to check it out and subscribe.
That YouTube channel had been taken down as of Thursday. An archived search showed several videos posted on it with titles related to firearms.
A Reddit user with the same username as the YouTube channel, and whose activity is consistent with the channel and the age of the suspected shooter, posted a video in 2023 of themself using a gun at a firing range.
Roblox, a popular game creation platform that has been under scrutiny over reports of violence and child grooming on its platform, said it deleted an account belonging to Van Rootselaar following reports that the suspect had created a game simulating a mass shooting at a mall. Roblox said the game had only been visited seven times.
“We have removed the user account connected to this horrifying incident as well as any content associated with the suspect. We are committed to fully supporting law enforcement in their investigation,” a Roblox spokesperson told CNN.
While Canada has far stricter gun laws than the US, it is legal to own certain types of guns with a valid license. Children between 12 and 17 can use a firearm for an approved purpose such as hunting or target practice with a Minor’s License.
Police recovered two firearms, a long gun and a modified handgun at the scene on Tuesday, though neither was registered to Van Rootselaar, whose license expired in 2024.
Hunting is a common pastime in Tumbler Ridge, Rev. Gerald Krauss of the town’s New Life Assembly Church told CNN.
The small town is best known for its nature and is surrounded by wildlife including deer, moose, elk, wolves, and grizzly and black bears.
The community is no stranger to guns but a fatal shooting was “brand new,” according to Krauss. “Everybody hunts and no one did something stupid,” he said, calling them “very responsible people who live here.”
Police seized firearms from Van Rootselaar’s residence a couple of years ago but later returned them when the owner petitioned for them, Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Wednesday. Police did not specify the owner of the firearms.
McDonald said police had also visited Van Rootselaar multiple times in recent years regarding mental health issues, and that on some occasions “the suspect was apprehended for assessment and follow up.”
The most recent visit, last spring, was over “concerns regarding mental health, self-harm,” he said.
On the Reddit account which matched the username of Van Rootselaar’s YouTube channel, several posts openly discussed struggles with mental health issues, with the poster saying they had sought psychiatric help in 2023. The Reddit posts also detailed drug use.
When asked if the town had adequate support for mental health services, the town’s mayor, Darryl Krakowka, said it was something the community was short on.
This post has been updated with additional information.
The B.C. RCMP have identified the suspect in the Tumbler Ridge school shooting as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who family members say also went by Jesse Strang.
Police said nine people were dead, including the shooter.
Here’s what we know so far.
Age and identity
Van Rootselaar was 18 years old at the time of the shooting and was a resident of Tumbler Ridge, B.C.
Deputy commissioner Dwayne McDonald said they “identified the suspect as they chose to be identified in public and social media,” explaining that Van Rootselaar was born biologically male and began transitioning “approximately six years ago to female.”
In a press conference Wednesday, he confirmed that authorities have “a history of police attendance at the family residence” in relation to mental health issues, “with respect to the suspect.”
McDonald added that police had visited the house on multiple occasions over the last several years, and that the suspect had been “apprehended for assessment” under the Mental Health Act.
The last time authorities had contact with the shooter was “sometime last year,” McDonald said.
When asked if Van Rootselaar had been receiving mental health counselling, McDonald said he did not have information on whether she was currently receiving care.
Was she a student at the school?
Police said Van Rootselaar was not attending Tumbler Ridge Secondary School at the time of the shooting and had dropped out approximately four years ago.
RCMP have not provided details about when she left the school or what her connection to the current students may have been.
Was this a targeted attack?
Investigators said it’s too early to determine motive.
“We don’t have information at this point to suggest that anyone was specifically targeted,” McDonald said.
Police have confirmed that the shooter was not related to any of the victims of the school.
Firearms history
RCMP said Van Rootselaar once possessed a firearms license, but it had expired. She did not have any firearms registered to her, police said.
Investigators recovered a long gun and a modified handgun at the scene. It remains under investigation whether the firearms were obtained legally and by whom.
In Wednesday’s press conference, McDonald confirmed that police had attended the residence some years back and seized firearms “under the criminal code.”
He added that at a later date, “the lawful owner of those firearms petitioned for those firearms to returned, and they were.”
No criminal charges were laid in relation to those firearms at the time.
Did she act alone?
Police said they believe the suspect acted alone and there are no other outstanding suspects.
Investigators from the B.C. RCMP Major Crime unit remain on scene as they work to determine the full circumstance surrounding the shooting.
Who are the victims?
RCMP have confirmed the identities of the victims.
Victims from Tumbler Ridge Secondary School
- Abel Mwansa: 12 years old
- Ezekiel Schofield: 13 years old
- Kylie Smith: 12 years old
- Zoey Benoit: 12 years old
- Ticaria Lampert: 12 years old
- Shannda Aviugana-Durand: 39 years old
Victims from residence on Fellers Avenue
- Emmett Jacobs: 11 years old
- Jennifer Jacobs: 39 years old
