TUMBLER RIDGE, British Columbia — Canadian police on Tuesday identified 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar as the gunman who killed eight people, including family members and students at her former school, before taking her own life in one of the worst mass shootings in Canada’s history. Authorities revised the death toll to nine, including the attacker, down from an earlier count of 10. A motive has not been determined.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Van Rootselaar first killed her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at the family home, then went to the local school she once attended. There, she fatally shot a 39-year-old teacher, three 12-year-old girls and two boys, ages 12 and 13. Dozens were injured; two victims remained in hospital with severe wounds.
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Police recovered a long gun and a modified handgun at the scene. Officers arrived within two minutes of the first emergency call and came under fire before finding the suspect dead of an apparent self-inflicted wound, McDonald said. Video from the scene showed students running from the school as sirens converged.
Van Rootselaar was born male and began identifying as female six years ago, police said. She had previously been detained under mental health laws for assessment on more than one occasion. Firearms were seized from the family residence about two years ago but were later returned after the owner — whom police did not identify — successfully appealed. Van Rootselaar previously held a firearms licence that expired in 2024. Canada has stricter gun laws than the United States, though licensed ownership is permitted; minors can obtain a limited firearms licence after safety training and tests.
The killings tore through this tight-knit mining town near the Alberta border, where “everybody knows everybody,” as one resident put it. Hundreds gathered in the main square Monday night, lighting candles at the base of a large tree and placing photos of the dead nearby. As temperatures dropped, mourners clustered together; one teenage girl sobbed, “It’s not fair.”
“We will get through this. We will learn from this,” a visibly shaken Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters as he postponed a trip to Europe. Flags at federal buildings will fly at half-staff for seven days. Lawmakers observed a moment of silence in the House of Commons as Carney said the killings had left the country in shock. “Tumbler Ridge represents the very best of Canada,” he said.
Mayor Darryl Krakowka, voice breaking at times, called the town “one big family.” “Lend your ear when someone needs your ear,” he said. “Lend your shoulder when someone needs your shoulder.” A local resident urged tighter security at school entrances. British Columbia Premier David Eby said authorities are “reaching out” across the public health system to understand prior interactions and to do “all we can” to prevent future tragedies.
Families began sharing names and memories of the victims. The relatives of 12-year-old Kylie Smith called her a “beautiful soul” and “the light in the family.” Her father, Lance Younge, said he last saw Kylie as she left for school with her brother, who survived by hiding in a utility room. He urged the public to focus on victims and heroes, not the shooter. In a separate Facebook post, Abel Mwansa said his 12-year-old son, also named Abel, was among the dead; the boy had once cried at the idea of homeschooling because he loved going to school so much.
School shootings are rare in Canada, but mass violence has scarred the nation before. In 2020, a gunman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia in a 13-hour rampage. In 1989, a shooter murdered 14 women at Montreal’s École Polytechnique.
Police said they believe Van Rootselaar acted alone and have no indication that specific victims were targeted. “It would be too early to speculate on motive,” McDonald said.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
