TUMBLER RIDGE, British Columbia — Authorities in Canada have identified 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar as the suspect in a mass shooting that left eight people dead and at least 25 injured in the small northern town of Tumbler Ridge.
Police say Van Rootselaar died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The attack began at the suspect’s family home, where officers later discovered the bodies of Van Rootselaar’s mother, 39, and step-brother, 11. The suspect then moved to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where six more victims were killed — including a female teacher and five students aged 12 and 13.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald confirmed that Van Rootselaar, who was born male but had transitioned to female, was known to authorities. Police had previously responded to multiple calls at the family home, some related to mental health concerns. The suspect had dropped out of the same secondary school four years earlier and once held a valid firearms license that had since expired.
The shooting unfolded Tuesday afternoon around 1:30 p.m. local time. Officers arrived within minutes of the first emergency call, entered the school under active gunfire, and quickly located the suspect, who was already deceased. Two firearms — a long gun and a modified handgun — were recovered at the scene.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said officials are working with the public health system to review past interactions with the suspect. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the attack, saying students and teachers “bore witness to unheard of cruelty,” and noted that some victims remain hospitalized in critical condition.
Tumbler Ridge, a remote community of about 2,400 residents, has been left shaken. Mayor Darryl Krakowka described the town as “one big family,” urging residents to support one another in the aftermath of the tragedy.
