An 18-year-old identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar has been named as the suspect in a mass shooting that killed eight people and injured at least 25 others in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
Police said Van Rootselaar died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The motive remains unknown.
Six victims were killed at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, including a 39-year-old educator, three female students aged 12, and two male students aged 12 and 13. Two additional victims — the suspect’s 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother — were found dead at a nearby home.
Authorities believe the shooting began at the family home before the suspect went to the school. Officers arrived within minutes of the emergency call and found the suspect deceased. A long gun and a modified handgun were recovered at the scene.
Police said they had previously attended the suspect’s home on multiple occasions, including for mental health-related concerns. Van Rootselaar, born biologically male, had been transitioning for six years, according to RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald. The suspect also previously held a gun licence that had expired.
Van Rootselaar had dropped out of the same secondary school four years earlier.
Two injured victims remain in hospital. Tumbler Ridge, a community of about 2,400 residents, has been deeply affected by the tragedy. Vigils were held in the town and in Victoria, where community leaders expressed solidarity and support.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said students and teachers “bore witness to unheard-of cruelty,” while Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka urged residents to support one another as the community grieves.