Tumbler Ridge school shooting: Police name 18-year-old who killed eight in BC community

An 18-year-old with a history of mental health contact with police killed eight people in a rampage at a secondary school in northern British Columbia before taking his own life.

An 18-year-old with a history of mental health contact with police killed eight people in a shooting rampage at a secondary school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, before taking his own life, the RCMP said.

Jesse Van Rootselaar shot eight people dead, police said. The suspect then committed suicide, police said.

Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, commander of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia, said Van Rootselaar was born male but began to identify as a female six years ago.

The suspect's mother, 39, and 11-year-old step-brother were first killed at the family home.

Van Rootselaar then went to the school, killing a 39-year-old woman teacher as well as three 12-year-old female students and two male students, one aged 12 and one aged 13, police said.

"We do believe the suspect acted alone ... it would be too early to speculate on motive," McDonald told a press conference.

"Police had attended that (family) residence on multiple occasions over the past several years, dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect," he added.

At least two other people were hospitalised with serious or life-threatening injuries, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

A video showed students walking out of the school with their hands raised as police vehicles surrounded the building and a helicopter circled overhead.

"It's hard to know what to say on a night like tonight. It's the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places and not close to home," British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters.

The shooting has renewed debate about how Canada's gun laws compare to those in the United States, where school shootings occur far more frequently. Canadian firearms regulations require licensing, background checks and registration for restricted weapons.

Tumbler Ridge is a remote municipality with a population of around 2,400 people in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northern British Columbia, approximately 720 miles northeast of Vancouver.

Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has 160 students in grades seven through 12, roughly ages 12 to 18, according to its website. The school was closed for the rest of the week and counseling will be made available to those in need, school officials said.

Officials said the town's small police force was on the scene within two minutes of receiving a call, and that victims were still being assessed hours after the incident.

"This is a small, tight-knit community with a small RCMP detachment as well, who responded in two minutes, no doubt saving lives today," Nina Krieger, British Columbia's public safety minister, told reporters.

The shooting ranks among the deadliest in Canadian history.

In April 2020, a 51-year-old man disguised in a police uniform and driving a fake police car shot and killed 22 people in a 13-hour rampage in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia, before police killed him at a gas station about 90 km (60 miles) from the site of his first killings.

In Canada's worst school shooting, in December 1989, a gunman killed 14 female students and wounded 13 at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, Quebec, before committing suicide.

In response to the shooting, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney postponed a planned announcement in Halifax on Wednesday for a new Defence Industrial Strategy and subsequent trip to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, a spokesperson said.

"I am devastated by today's horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, BC. My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence," Mr Carney said on X.

He added: "I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens."

"Our ability to come together in crisis is the best of our country, our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other."

"I have connected with Premier Eby to express my condolences, and with the Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, who is coordinating the federal response."

"Our officials are in close contact with their counterparts to ensure the community is fully supported as best we can. The Government of Canada stands with all British Columbians as they confront this horrible tragedy."

"We will get through this. We will learn from this," Carney later told reporters, at one point looking close to tears.

"But right now, it's a time to come together, as Canadians always do in these situations, these terrible situations, to support each other, to mourn together and to grow together."

The King, Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales have expressed their shock and sadness at the brutal attack.

Charles, who is King of Canada, along with Camilla, William and Kate, shared their deepest condolences with those affected, with the senior royals saying they "stand in solidarity" with all Canadians in the aftermath of the tragedy.