Authorities have identified a suspect in the mass shooting that devastated the remote town of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia, leaving nine people dead, including the individual believed to have carried out the attack.
Police named the suspected gunman as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who was discovered dead at the secondary school where the violence unfolded, with officials saying the injury appeared self-inflicted.
Six victims were found inside the school, while two others were located at a nearby home. More than 25 people were injured, including two who were airlifted to hospital in serious condition.
Tumbler Ridge lies about 600 miles from Vancouver, tucked into the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, and has a population of roughly 2,400 residents.
Although mass shootings are uncommon in Canada because of the country’s strict firearm regulations, locals say gun ownership is common in Tumbler Ridge due to its strong hunting culture.
The tragedy could be Canada’s deadliest school shooting since the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, when 14 women were killed before the attacker took his own life.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by what he called “horrific acts of violence.”
“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens,” he wrote.
How the attack unfolded
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they received a report of an “active shooter” at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School at about 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
Jarbas Noronha, who teaches a Grade 12 auto mechanics class, told the New York Times he first heard about the incident when a student rushed into the workshop saying gunshots had been heard.
Shortly afterward, the principal reportedly ran into the shop and shouted “Lockdown!” Noronha said he and his students barricaded the doors using metal benches.
Officers who entered the building discovered six victims, about 25 people with injuries, and the suspect, who was “found deceased with what appears to be a self-inflicted injury,” according to an RCMP statement. All remaining students and staff were safely evacuated.
Among those killed inside the school were a 39-year-old teacher and five students aged between 12 and 13.
Footage from the scene showed students leaving the building with their hands raised as a helicopter landed nearby.
RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd told reporters: “The scene was very dramatic, and there were multiple victims that are still being cared for.”
Police said two people, a 12-year-old and a 19-year-old, were airlifted from the school with serious injuries, while about 25 others were treated locally for less severe wounds.
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has around 175 students, according to provincial figures.
Investigators recovered both a long gun and a modified handgun from the school.
Two additional victims, a 39-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy, were found dead at a nearby residence.
What is known about the suspect
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said Van Rootselaar was an 18-year-old local resident who had previously attended the school but dropped out about four years ago.
He said police had visited the suspect’s home “on multiple occasions over the past several years” because of concerns about her mental health, most recently in the spring of last year.
“I can say that on different occasions, the suspect was apprehended for assessment and follow up,” he said, adding that “it’s too early to say whether that has any correlation in this investigation.”
Investigators have not yet determined a motive.
Police later identified the two victims at the nearby home as the suspect’s mother and step-brother. McDonald said they appeared to have been killed there before the school attack and were discovered after a “young female relative” contacted police.
He added that firearms had previously been seized from the residence but were later returned after “the lawful owner of those firearms” petitioned for their release.
Authorities said the suspect’s firearms licence expired in 2024, and no weapons were registered in her name at the time of the shooting.
“There is no information at this point that anyone was specifically targeted,” McDonald said, noting that none of the victims at the school were related to the suspect.
Canada’s gun laws
While rare, mass shootings do occur in Canada. The country has stricter firearm laws than the United States, but gun ownership remains common, particularly in rural communities where hunting is part of daily life.
Government data from 2020 estimates that about 10,040,000 firearms are in circulation across the country.
To own a firearm, Canadians must obtain a licence, be at least 18 years old, and complete safety training. Certain weapons, including handguns, must also be registered.
Exceptions exist for some Indigenous communities, where firearms are commonly used for hunting.
Canada has tightened its gun regulations following major attacks. After the 2020 mass shooting in Portapique, Nova Scotia, where 22 people were killed, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced new restrictions.
Within days of that attack, the government banned about 1,500 types of assault-style weapons. Since then, more than 2,500 models have been prohibited.
Canada also operates a “buyback” programme for military-style assault rifles.
