Columbia : Canadian authorities have confirmed that an 18-year-old former student, identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, fatally shot her mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at their home before carrying out a deadly attack at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday, police said.
The rampage, which ranks among the deadliest in Canada in recent years, left nine people dead, including the suspect, and wounded more than 24 others. Van Rootselaar, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot at the school, had a history of mental health issues and previous interactions with law enforcement related to those concerns. Police recovered a long gun and a modified handgun at the scene.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said officers were summoned after shots were fired and arrived at the high school within minutes. At the school, a teacher and five students, all aged 12 or 13, were found dead inside the building’s library and stairwell. Authorities indicated there was no evidence that specific individuals at the school were targeted.
Van Rootselaar, who dropped out of the school roughly four years ago, had previously held a firearms licence that expired in 2024. Police had responded to the family residence multiple times over the past several years due to concerns over her mental well-being, McDonald said.
The attack in the remote community of about 2,700 people has prompted an outpouring of grief nationwide. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking in Ottawa, expressed profound sorrow and announced that flags will be flown at half-mast. Schools in the region have closed for the remainder of the week, and support services are being mobilised for students, families and first responders.
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