A small town in Canada, Tumbler Ridge, is dealing with an enormous tragedy after a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School resulted in nine fatalities and 27 injuries. This incident is one of the deadliest attacks in Canadian history.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of February 10 in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, a community of around 2,400 residents situated over 685 miles northeast of Vancouver in the Rocky Mountains foothills. The police were alerted to an active shooter at 1:20 p.m. MST, leading to an immediate and prolonged lockdown that was finally lifted at 5:45 p.m. PT.
Upon arrival, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) found six victims dead inside the school. Authorities reported the suspected shooter was also dead at the scene due to a “self-inflicted injury”. Two more victims were found dead at a local residence linked to the school attack, taking the total death count to nine, shooter included. One person was critically injured and airlifted but survived.
27 individuals were injured during the attack. Emergency services airlifted patients to nearby hospitals, with at least two people reported in serious or life-threatening condition.
The shooter, identified by the RCMP as Jesse Van Rootselaar, aged 18, was a former student. RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, in a press conference, stated that Van Rootselaar, a biological male who began transitioning to a female six years ago, was from Tumbler Ridge. The motive behind this deadliest rampage since 2020 still remains unclear.
During the horrifying incident, students barricaded themselves inside classrooms for over two hours. Grade 12 student, Darian Quist, described the experience as “almost surreal” when he and his classmates realized it was not a drill and barricaded the doors with tables.
Bryan Castellarin, whose 15-year-old son Ashton was among the survivors, described the chilling experience. “All of a sudden they heard gunshots going off,” recounted Castellarin, describing his son and other students trapped and terrified for two to three hours. “My son was trying to console them. He tried to stay as calm as he could, but he is pretty shaken up, and he is scared.”
The building was eventually secured by the police, and students were led outside, hands raised, and searched by officers before being reunited with their families. British Columbia Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger credited the officers’ swift response time of two minutes from the initial report with preventing further casualties.
This tragedy has deeply affected Tumbler Ridge, a town established in the early 1980s to support local coal mining operations. Mayor Darryl Krakowka expressed the close relationship residents share with the victims, stating, “I will know every victim. I’ve been here 18 years, and we’re a small community. I don’t call them residents. I call them family.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney directed flags on all federal government buildings to be flown at half-mast for seven days and cancelled question period in Parliament on Wednesday. He cancelled his planned trip to the Munich Security Conference to stay in Canada during this crisis. Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger announced the deployment of trauma-informed counselors to the region to provide support services.
Condolence messages have come in from around the globe. Prominent figures such as King Charles III and Queen Camilla expressed their shock and sadness, describing the attack as “a senseless act of brutal violence.” The Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre urged Canadians to unite in support of the Tumbler Ridge community and the affected families. Governor General Mary Simon also called for support, stating, “In this unimaginable moment of tragedy, the whole of Canada has Tumbler Ridge in its thoughts.”
Hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser, who held an Olympic boot camp in the area in 2010, expressed her sorrow for the community. The Toronto Blue Jays also issued a statement offering condolences to the community.
Larry Neufeld, the Conservative MLA for Peace River South, representing the region, voiced his devastation. “I don’t know that my thoughts and prayers are enough for the people of Tumbler Ridge,” Neufeld said. “It’s beyond devastating.”
The victims, all between the ages of 12 and 13, are being remembered by their parents who recall them as joyful, loving children who are profoundly missed.
The RCMP released the names of all eight victims: Zoey Benoit, 12, Ticaria Lampert, 12, Abel Mwansa, 12, Ezekiel Schofield, 13, Kylie Smith, 12, Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39, Emmett Jacobs, 11, and Jennifer Strang, 39, the shooter’s mother.
The four officers who were first on the scene at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School were also named, commended for their extraordinary bravery.