Tumbler Ridge Recap: Three shooting victims, their killer identified – Vancouver Sun

Read our recap of the events in Tumbler Ridge, with updates from Feb. 10 and 11.
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Eight people are dead and 27 injured after the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge in northeastern B.C. on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
The shooting unfolded at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where six people were later found dead. Two others were flown to hospital, while 25 were assessed for minor injuries.
The shooter also died from a self-inflicted injury inside the school.
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Two other victims were found dead inside a home nearby.
For the latest on the Tumbler Ridge shooting, follow along below for live updates throughout the day. And read more of our coverage here:
• Tumbler Ridge: How a day of horror and tragedy unfolded
• In Tumbler Ridge, shock, grief and an eerie silence
• What we know about the Tumbler Ridge mass shooter
• What school shooting history tells us following Tumbler Ridge tragedy
• What the world is saying about the devastating B.C. mass shooting
• Mass shootings are rare in Canada. Here are the deadliest in our country’s history
B.C. Premier David Eby has promised he “will get answers to all questions” related to mental health and police interactions that killer Jesse Van Rootsellar had prior to their murderous rampage.
Eby said he will also find out why weapons were taken from Van Rootsellar’s family home then returned to them.
Speaking from Tumbler Ridge on Wednesday night and fighting back tears, Eby said he would use all avenues of investigation to answer every questions raised by the killing.
Eby attended an impromptu vigil, held across the downtown square from City Hall, before speaking to the media.
Also at the press conference, federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree highlighted the efforts of Tumbler Ridge RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Bill Hughes and other officers who put themselves in danger as the event unfolded.
“Their efforts saved many lives,” Anandasangaree said.
B.C. Solicitor General Nina Krieger said there were also extraordinary acts of courage performed by school staff, which would come out over the next few days.
Eby became emotional when he spoke of 12-year-old Maya Gebala, who is in Children’s Hospital in Vancouver “clinging to life right now.”
A GoFundMe page set up for Maya has raised close to $225,000. Reporters visiting the hospital were asked to leave.
— David Carrigg
Three of the students killed in the tragic Tumbler Ridge shooting have been identified by family.
The morning after her 12-year-old son was killed in a shooting at his Tumbler Ridge high school, Bwalya Chisanga said she felt like it had all been a dream.
In a series of Facebook posts, the mother remembered waking up her son to go to school at 8:20 a.m. each day. On Tuesday, hours before his death, he asked her to let his dad know he would need to be picked up at church at the end of the day. Then he picked up his backpack and left for school.
Abel Mwansa was one of five students killed at Tumbler Ridge Secondary on Tuesday afternoon.
“My son I treasured the moment(s) I spent with you,” Mwansa’s father Abel Mwansa posted on Facebook. “You were a great son, still remain a great one to me.”
Family members of other victims also posted tributes to their loved ones.
Thirteen-year-old Eziekiel Schofield was also killed in the shooting, according to a Facebook post by his grandfather Peter Schofield.
“Everything feels so surreal. The tears just keep flowing,” he posted Wednesday.
“So many young lives were ended so needlessly. Our hearts are broken not only for Eziekiel, but for every family affected by this tragedy.”
In a post on GoFundMe, Shanon Dycke, the aunt of 12-year-old Kylie Smith, said her family received the “gut-wrenching news” that Kylie was a victim on Tuesday.
“We are completely devastated and have no words as we try to process the magnitude of the situation,” she said. She called the girl a “beautiful, kind, innocent soul.”
Dennis Campbell, president of the Tumbler Ridge Minor Hockey Association, knew all the victims.
Campbell’s 12-year-old daughter Quinn played soccer with Abel, who he described as “a good, kind-hearted soul”.
Ezekiel, who played hockey, was “an amazing child” who always had a smile on his face.
Campbell had known Kylie since she was a baby, and spent Wednesday comforting her family. “My daughter lost four friends that day,” the devastated man said. “I’ve been crying all day.”
-Glenda Luymes
Shelley Quist could see a RCMP officer with his gun drawn, crouched in the parking lot between the Tumbler Ridge health centre where she worked and the high school where her son Darian, 17, was barricaded inside a mechanics classroom. A co-worker had to stop her from running to the school.
“I was going to take off to the school, but my co-worker stopped me at the door,” she said.
A few minutes earlier, Darian had texted his mom to say there was a lockdown at school.
She called him back and was able to stay on the phone with him as they learned more about what was happening. Darian had been in the library at about 1:30 p.m. before making his way to the mechanics classroom for his next block. Shortly after he arrived at class, a loud alarm sounded.
The students used tables to barricade the classroom doors and made plans to escape through the garage door if needed.
“It was beep, beep, beep. We were on the phone, trying to figure out what was going on. He thought maybe it was a drill,” said Quist.
Darian eventually found out through text messages from other students that there was a shooter.
At the health centre, Quist was told that anyone with kids at the high school should go home and stay in place.
She went home, locked the doors and sat in the basement with her other son.
After about two-and-a-half hours on the phone with Darian, he told her he had to put his phone down. She could hear yelling and banging as the RCMP tactical team kicked in the door.
Darian and his classmates were told to leave the school with their hands above their heads and escorted to the community centre.
“I heard that, and I ran,” said Quist.
Mother and son were reunited at the community centre, where she pulled him into a big hug.
On Wednesday, the tragedy was “starting to sink in,” she said.
Her neighbour’s 12-year-old son was killed.
“I would see him outside, playing. I can still hold my son, but she couldn’t even get his body after. She was on the front lawn screaming last night.”
Quist said Darian is holding up. He was in class with two good friends, and they were able to support each other through the ordeal. He graduates in June and has applied to the nursing program at the University of Alberta.
But another one of his friends lost his mom in the shooting.
“The friend saw his mom get shot,” she said. “We found out this morning that she didn’t make it.”
Quist said she’s opened her home to any of Darian’s friends who want to come over. She plans to do some baking and take it across the street to the neighbour’s house.
“We need to be there for each other. It’s all we can do.”
Quist said her family moved to Tumbler Ridge from Saskatchewan a year and a half ago. They’ve fallen in love with the community and were starting to consider purchasing a house.
“I’m not going to let this deter me,” she said.
-Glenda Luymes
A larger community vigil is being organized for Tumbler Ridge, with more details expected in the coming days, said Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka in a statement Wednesday.
“Our community is strong; we are family; we need to help each other,” he wrote. “We encourage residents to check
in on one another and hold your loved ones close as we navigate this unimaginable loss together.”
Krakowka encouraged residents to rely on confirmed information shared by the RCMP as the investigation continues.
An online book of condolences has also been set up for the public to share their messages with the Tumbler Ridge community. It will be available online until Feb. 20, 2026.
The book of condolences can be accessed online here.
-Stephanie Ip
Premier David Eby and Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger are en route to Tumbler Ridge and are expected to hold a press conference around 7 p.m. PST on Wednesday.
They will be joined by federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson, who is the MP for Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby.
Niki Sharma, B.C.’s deputy premier and attorney general, repeated Eby’s calls to wrap the community in love at this difficult time on CBC’s Power and Politics program and laid out some of the supports the province has mobilized.
“Our children’s hospital here in Vancouver is sending their mental health team. There is a community centre right now at Tumbler Ridge Community Center that’s opened for those people that need support or want support, to come and receive that,” she said.
“It’s early days, but I’m grateful for the first responders and the front line team that showed up very quickly and is continuing to show up for that community.”
At the legislature, politicians that had been preparing for the Throne Speech by Lt. Gov. Wendy Cocchia are now getting set for a day of mourning instead, with the usual pomp and circumstance cancelled.
Government house leader Mike Farnworth, Conservative house leader Á’a:líya Warbus and Green house leader Rob Botterell said MLAs will observe a moment of silence at noon on Thursday and that the Throne Speech has been cancelled.
“The horrific shooting and tragic loss of life in Tumbler Ridge have devastated this small community and impacted people across B.C., Canada and around the world. In recognition of these events, the planned Throne Speech for tomorrow will not be delivered,” they said in a statement.
In place of the Throne Speech, which would have laid out the government’s priorities for the coming year, Cocchia will instead deliver an address dedicated to the people of Tumbler Ridge.
Conservative interim leader Trevor Halford said now is not the time for politics after Tuesday’s tragedy.
“Yesterday, parents packed their kids lunch. Today, they’re making funeral arrangements,” he told reporters at the legislature.
“The focus is on, on the lives that have been absolutely shattered, and that’s the priority.”
A candlelit vigil will also be held on the steps of the legislature Wednesday evening, with Speaker Raj Chouhan joined by deputy speaker Mable Elmore and assistant deputy speaker Lorne Doerkson.
-Alec Lazenby
Police are providing more details about the mass shooting Tuesday at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald of the B.C. RCMP spoke at a news conference Wednesday, describing how police arrived to the school within two minutes of the shooting being reported.
“On arrival, there was active gunfire and as officers approached the school, rounds were fired in their direction,” said McDonald.
Inside, police located six victims who had been killed in the shooting included a 39-year-old female teacher, three 12-year-old female students and two male students, ages 12 and 13.
One victim was found dead in a stairwell, while the others were found in the school’s library.
McDonald also confirmed that a female student believed to have died Tuesday en route to hospital did survive and is in hospital. She is one of the two victims flown to hospital; they are a 12-year-old girl, now in B.C. Children’s Hospital, and a 19-year-old girl.
A total of 25 people were also assessed at the scene for minor injuries, while approximately 100 students and faculty were evacuated to the nearby community centre.
B.C. Emergency Health Services said eight ambulances, six air ambulances and an operations director were sent to Tumbler Ridge Tuesday afternoon.
Paramedics transported two patients by air ambulance, one in critical condition and one in serious but stable condition, and treated several others who did not need to go to hospital.
BCEHS spokesperson Brian Twaites said a disaster psychological support team, part of Health Emergency Management B.C., is also helping victims through both pthe olice and the school district.
The shooter, who died of a self-inflicted injury inside the school, has also been identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old transgender female living in Tumbler Ridge. Police also recovered a long gun and a modified handgun at the scene, and say the shooter acted alone.
The two individuals found dead inside a residential home a short distance from the school were confirmed to be Van Rootselaar’s mother, 39, and stepbrother, 11. McDonald said it was the residence where the suspect lived.
McDonald said investigators are still working to determine a motive and say they have not found any notes or messages left by the shooter.
Police believe the timeline of events began after an incident happened at the home between the family members on Tuesday, before the shooter made her way to the high school where the shooting unfolded.
Police were not notified about the scene at the home until after the shooting at the school had occurred, adding that a young female at the home went to the neighbours for help, who then called police.
McDonald said police could not discuss publicly the relationship between the shooter and those killed at the school, only that they are not related.
Police confirmed there was a “history of police attendance at the family residence,” some of them relating to mental health and others relating to firearms incidents.
McDonald said Rootselaar had previously been taken into custody for assessment under the Mental Health Act but that police’s most recent contact with Rootselaar was last year.
He confirmed that the shooter did have a gun licence but that it had expired in 2024, and did not have any firearms registered in her name.
Rootselaar began transitioning six years ago and dropped out of school four years ago.
– Stephanie Ip
In a statement Wednesday, Tumbler Ridge parent advisory council chairwoman Nicole Noksana said the school community would be “focusing inward” over the next few days and would not be speaking to media.
“Lives have been lost, others have been forever changed, and our hearts remain with the families and community as a whole experiencing unimaginable pain,” she wrote.
“In a close-knit community like Tumbler Ridge, this loss is felt deeply by us all. Parents, students, staff, and community members are navigating shock, sorrow, and uncertainty.
“We remain incredibly grateful to the RCMP, first responders, health care professionals, and most of all school staff who acted swiftly and courageously in the face of tragedy.”
Noksana said in her statement that the PAC would be working with the district of Tumbler Ridge and Lakeview Credit Union to establish an official donation fund. Those looking to donate to support the impacted families can do so by visiting any Lakeview Credit Union location or by e-transfer to TRStrong@lvcu.ca.
A GoFundMe campaign managed by the PAC has also been launched, with funds being directly deposited into the same account at Lakeview Credit Union.
“Funds will be distributed to the families most affected, ensuring support goes where it is needed,” she wrote.
-Stephanie Ip, Lori Culbert
Twelve hours after a mass shooting left eight dead in the small community, widescreen televisions scream silent updates through front windows on Fellers Avenue in Tumbler Ridge at 2 a.m. Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, RCMP reported two shooting locations — one at a Tumbler Ridge residence at 112 Fellers Ave., and another larger scene at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
A total of six were found dead at the school, two victims located dead at the Fellers location, and a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the alleged shooter put the death count to 10.
“I appreciate the opportunity to talk, but it is just too close right now, too close to home,” said a neighbour across the street from the Fellers Avenue residential crime scene.
Immediate neighbours of the Fellers residence say it has been a raw 18 hours.
“We heard the gunshots and called 911 on Tuesday. We know them, they are our neighbours here.”
Approximately 500 metres separates the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School from the RCMP detachment building, and less than one kilometre from the Fellers Avenue home.
“I’ve just heard what I’ve read on Facebook. It is all quite unbelievable,” said an employee Wednesday at the Tumbler Ridge Inn and Suites.
Wednesday saw RCMP officers going door to door in the residential area near Fellers, with an RCMP evidence van arriving early morning at the school.
“This is overwhelming. It’s unbelievable,” said a Tumbler Ridge resident walking their dog along Willow Drive just after 9 a.m. Wednesday.
RCMP confirmed this morning the Fellers investigation would be more than a day.
“We’ll likely be on scene for a few days at least.”
—Rob Brown, Postmedia
A 12-year-old girl has been identified as one of the shooting victims now “fighting for her life” in hospital.
Maya Gebala remains at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver receiving critical care as of Wednesday afternoon.
In a Facebook post, her mom Cia Edmonds wrote Tuesday evening that her daughter was “fighting for her life” while doctors treated her for gunshot wounds.
“She was a lucky one, I suppose,” the mother wrote. “Condolences to the other families during this tragedy. This doesn’t even feel real.”
“I never thought I would be asking for prayers … but please, please, pray for my baby.”
In an update Wednesday afternoon, the mother said her daughter may have suffered brain damage due to the gunshots.
“I can feel her in my heart,” she wrote. “I can feel her saying it’s going to be OK.”
“Our baby needs a miracle … ”
-Stephanie Ip
A GoFundMe campaign has been started by the Tumbler Ridge Parent Advisory Council.
“As we come together in grief and solidarity, it is clear that those impacted will need our support — not only emotionally but also financially — as they navigate the challenges ahead,” read a statement shared on the crowdfunding page.
The campaign — which was launched with a goal of reaching $30,000 — is being co-ordinated in collaboration with Tumbler Ridge city council, and will go toward “unexpected expenses, supporting daily needs, and helping with any ongoing recovery effort.”
“Our community has always stood strong in times of adversity, and this is an opportunity for us to extend a helping hand to those who need it most,” the statement reads.
“Whether you are a local resident or someone touched by the spirit of Tumbler Ridge, your contribution — no matter how big or small — will make a meaningful difference.”
The campaign can be found online here.
-Stephanie Ip
When the active shooter alert came in, parents and friends crowded the local community centre, which is a block away from the high school.
Rev. Gerald Krauss with the New Life Assembly was among the church leaders who went to the community centre until 4 a.m. to comfort the families as they frantically paced, waiting to hear news of their children.
“We know every single person that lost a child, it’s a tragedy that has hit our quiet town … and I just don’t really have the words to describe what happened,” said Krauss, his voice shaking. Some of the victims were members of his congregation.
He said students were released to their parents at the community centre after the lock down was lifted but so many families were left with the devastating reality that their children were not among them.
“We stayed for those families whose children were not accounted for, it’s what we do. The number of family members who are dealing with this … the moms and dads, the sisters and brothers and grandparents … suddenly people from our congregation are gone. It’s overwhelming.”
He did not want to identify the victims and thought it best to leave those details to police but he said everyone knows everyone in their close-knit community. He added that some of the victims were hockey players for a town that loves the Canadian sport.
“These kids should be playing hockey or just being kids but life has just been completely turned upside down.”
Krauss said in the days to come there will be services and vigils planned for the families but right now families are exhausted and in shock.
The shooter was a member of the community and there’s talk of a motive but Krauss said it wasn’t for him to speculate.
“I’m sure it will all come out at some point … but it’s just something that you just never think could happen in our community.”
-Tiffany Crawford
Jerrilyn Kirk, manager of the Tumbler Ridge Chamber of Commerce, said the business community is rallying to support residents dealing with enormous grief.
“I can’t even express how much the business community is reaching out to help,” she said. “We have an entire community dealing with different cycles of grief. There are people still in shock, there are those who are angry, there are people dealing with having lost a loved one in a very violent way.”
She said Lakeview Credit Union was raising money for the families affected, while different shops were asking how they could help and the pharmacy remained opened so that anyone who was injured can access medication.
Kirk added that it’s not just Tumber Ridge businesses either. She’s heard from store owners in Dawson Creek and Chetwynd offering their services or asking how they can help.
“It really is impacting the entire region,” she said.
Jonathan Taylor, co-owner of Twisted Seasons Bistro, said the restaurant’s doors were closed Wednesday, but he and his wife came in early to prepare coffee and meals for first responders and those directly affected.
“In times like these, it’s important that we do whatever we can to ease their suffering.”
Taylor urged families to reach out to him directly if they need food.
—Tiffany Crawford and Joseph Ruttle.
Driving into Tumbler Ridge is beautiful, serene. The town is quiet. A few vehicles are moving around. White capped mountains and a mine frame the town where Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, is believed to have killed two people in her Fellers Avenue home and then made her way to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and shot numerous others.
Then the RCMP presence becomes visible: SUVs, marked cruisers and pick-up trucks guard the school and the house on Fellers Avenue.
Like the rest of the town, city hall is quiet, eerily so.  Its mayor, Darryl Krakowa, is unavailable. The employee at the counter checks. No one is available. Leave an email and they’ll send something out later she says.
At a local diner, one of the employees says they learned of the shooting when the alert hit their phones. It was confusing and she’s not sure what to think. More than anything it’s just sad, she adds.
Another local says the shooter’s mother is well known in the community. The shock of what’s happening is too much to think about. As the realization of what was happening made its around the small town, her children began texting and calling to see if she was OK.
The school is just behind the Tumbler Ridge Community Health Centre. They recently learned they’ll be losing one of their local physicians and left with “1.5” doctors. Couple that with having no after hours service makes it more concerning.
In the past year, the victims’ home caught fire. It was believed to have started in the shed and then reached the house. The cause was never released to the public, but it was considered suspicious at the time.
Everything is a stone’s throw in Tumbler Ridge, the local adds. It’s a quiet town where everyone knows everyone and its impact will last.
—Tina Kennedy, Daily Herald Tribune 
It is a heavy day of mourning in Tumbler Ridge, where prayers and tributes to the victims are pouring in online for the nine people and 27 injured in one of Canada’s worst mass shootings.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media to say France stands with Canada during this horror.
Horror has struck a school in Tumbler Ridge, Canada. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, the injured, and the entire educational community. France stands alongside the Canadian people.
Prince William and Princess Catherine also send their condolences to Canada from the U.K.
“We stand with all Canadians following this morning’s appalling tragedy. Our hearts are with the entire Tumbler Ridge community, and we extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends affected by this devastating loss. We are so thankful for the courage shown by the students, staff, and emergency responders who acted with selflessness in the face of such violence. W & C.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla said they were “profoundly shocked and saddened to learn of the most dreadful attack at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia.”
“We can only express our deepest possible sympathy to the families who are grieving the unimaginable loss of their loved ones and those still awaiting news from hospital,” his statement read.
“In a such a closely connected town, every child’s name will be known and every family will be a neighbour. We can only begin to imagine the appalling shadow that has now descended across Tumbler Ridge and our hearts go out to all those whose lives have been so shattered by this senseless act of brutal violence.”
The National Hockey League said it was overwhelmed by the violence and loss in Tumbler Ridge, a small community where hockey is part of every day life.
“The NHL family is sending our prayers and compassion to the families and friends of those who lost their lives, those who are injured and to the entire community as they mourn this unimaginable tragedy.”
The Tumbler Ridge Raptors Minor Hockey Association said members were heartbroken by the tragic events that have impacted their community.
“As a community built around youth and families, we cannot begin to imagine the pain being felt by the students, parents, teachers, and loved ones affected, the statement on social media said.
“Hockey connects our communities in meaningful ways; through shared seasons, tournaments, friendships, and support. Today, we stand with you not as competitors, but as an extended community grieving together.”
“We are holding you in our thoughts and sending strength, compassion, and unwavering support during this incredibly difficult time.”
Jon Cooper, head coach for Team Canada’s men’s hockey squad, is originally from the nearby city of Prince George.
“Tumbler Ridge, that’s a tough one. I mean, I stayed in the hotel there growing up, and that town, it was kind of became an instant town. And I had friends go over there and work there, and obviously haven’t been back in a long time,” he told Postmedia while in Italy.
“But you think about tragedies that usually, they kind of happen somewhere else, so you never really feel the effect of it touching close to home. But this one’s close to home, and my heart goes out to all the families.”
-Postmedia News
The tragedy made itself felt a world away at the Olympics in Italy. Canada’s women’s curling coach Heather Nedohin, who is from Fort St. John, just north of Tumbler Ridge, said she is trying to focus her team ahead of competition. The details she had heard, though, were heartbreaking.
“I’ll be learning more from home here I assume very quickly,” she said. “The sense of the community around there, I’m going to probably know somebody.”
—Jonny Wakefield, Edmonton Journal 
RCMP is holding a perimeter around Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Wednesday, the morning after six were killed in a mass shooting. The person believed to be the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and Tumbler Ridge Elementary School will be closed for the rest of the week, according to the school district.
The district says it will make supports available for the students and families.
It also cancelled all career events planned at Northern Lights College Wednesday.
—Rob Brown/Postmedia in Tumbler Ridge
On Tuesday afternoon, Stacie Gruntman, the principal, directed students and teachers to lock down their classrooms, about two minutes after a student reported hearing gunshots on campus, Jarbas Noronha, the school’s wood and auto mechanic shop teacher, told The New York Times.
In the auto mechanic shop with 15 students, Noronha locked the hallway door and two garage doors that led to the schoolyard. Two metal benches were used as barricades, he told the media outlet.
“We were in the safest part of the school,” he said in a phone interview with the Times on Tuesday night. “If someone tried to break in through the hallway door, we would run to the yard through the garage doors.”
Premier David Eby expressed his condolences on the Tumbler Ridge shooting at a news conference Tuesday evening, adding that he hoped to make his way to the community in the coming days.
“This is a devastating and unimaginable tragedy,” said Eby. “We can’t imagine what the community is going through but I know it’s causing us all to hug our kids a little tighter tonight.”
Eby said he’d also been in touch with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who extended offers of assistance through health care in the northern region. While police have confirmed some victims were airlifted for treatment, Eby had no information on where those patients were sent for care.
When asked about the size of the Tumbler Ridge RCMP detachment, Eby confirmed that RCMP from surrounding communities were deployed during the emergency alert while the active shooter situation was underway.
Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger, who joined Eby at the news conference, said provincial resources were already being deployed to the Tumbler Ridge community on Tuesday evening, including trauma counsellors to support students and staff.
“As a mother, I am holding the families who lost loved ones close in my heart, as well as the many of those injured for their families, the nightmare has not yet ended,” she said.
“We will stand with the community in the days and weeks and months ahead, with compassion, with action and with a commitment to supporting healing for as long as it takes, we will ensure that every possible support is available for the community in the coming days.”
Eby was also asked what his message to parents was, particularly in light of a number of threats made to Coquitlam-area schools last week.
“It’s hard to know what to say on a night like tonight. This is the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places and not close to home,” he said.
“The devastation these families face, it’s just impossible to understand what they’re going through without going through it yourself.”
-Stephanie Ip
Several people are dead following a terrifying mass shooting Tuesday afternoon at a high school in Tumbler Ridge.
An emergency alert was issued around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday after police were notified of an active shooter situation at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
The alert also described a suspect as a woman in a dress with brown hair.
Police descended on the school to search for the suspect. Inside the building, police “located several victims.”
“An individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self-inflicted injury,” said police.
In total, six people — not including the suspect — were found dead inside the school.
Two other victims have been airlifted to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries.
Police also found two people dead in a nearby residence, believed to be connected to the school shooting.
“Officers are conducting further searches of additional homes and properties to determine whether anyone else may be injured or otherwise linked to today’s events,” said police on Tuesday evening.
A total of 25 other individuals are “being assessed and triaged at the local medical centre for non-life-threatening injuries,” said police.
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