VANCOUVER, British Columbia (JN) – An 18-year-old woman identified by police as the suspect in a school shooting in western Canada had previously come to the attention of officers during mental health checks at her home. Authorities released the details a day after the attack that left eight people dead and more than 25 injured in a remote part of British Columbia.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Jesse Van Rootselaar died from an apparent self-inflicted wound after the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, a small campus in a mountain town near the Alberta border.
Investigators believe the violence began at her family home before she went to the nearby school. Police are still working to establish why the attack happened and how events unfolded.
Violence began at family home before moving to school
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said Van Rootselaar first killed her 39-year-old mother and her 11-year-old stepbrother at their home. A young relative ran to a neighbor for help, and the neighbor called police. Officers later found the two bodies inside the house.
Soon after, the suspect went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Police believe most of the shooting took place in the library and a stairwell. One victim lay in the stairwell, while others were in the library area, McDonald said.
He said the suspect had no known connection to the victims at the school. Investigators have not found any evidence that she targeted specific people.
Officers recovered a long gun and a modified handgun at the scene. Police reached the school within two minutes of the first emergency call and faced gunfire as they approached, McDonald added.
Eight dead and more than 25 injured
Police first reported nine deaths but later corrected the number to eight. McDonald said the mistake happened after a critically injured person was airlifted to a medical center and mistakenly listed as deceased.
The victims included a 39-year-old teacher and five students between the ages of 12 and 13. More than 25 people suffered injuries.
According to provincial records, the school serves about 175 students in grades 7 to 12.
History of mental health-related police visits
McDonald said officers had visited the suspect’s home in the past for mental health-related concerns. He did not give further details about those visits.
Investigators have not yet identified a motive for the attack.
Shock in a small and close-knit town
Tumbler Ridge has about 2,700 residents and sits more than 1,000 kilometers northeast of Vancouver. The town lies in the Canadian Rockies and functions as a tight community where many people know one another.
Mayor Darryl Krakowka said the loss hit the town hard.
“I broke down,” Krakowka said. “I have lived here for 18 years. I probably know every one of the victims.”
Police vehicles surrounded the school as officers secured the area. A helicopter circled overhead. Video footage showed students leaving the building with their hands raised.
Flowers, stuffed toys, and handwritten notes began to appear near the school grounds as residents gathered at a nearby community center for support.
Witness accounts from inside and outside the school
Shelley Quist said her neighbor lost a 12-year-old child in the attack. She described hearing the boy’s mother crying in the street and asking for her son.
Quist said her 17-year-old son, Darian, was inside the school when the shooting began. He remained on lockdown for more than two hours. He had been in the library shortly before the attack, she said.
Darian said he understood the seriousness of the situation when the principal ordered doors to be closed. Students pushed desks against classroom doors while he received messages from others inside the school.
Quist was working at the nearby hospital at the time. She said she wanted to run to the school but a coworker stopped her. She later reached her son by phone and learned he was safe.
National response and mourning
Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke about the tragedy as he arrived in Parliament. He said Canadians were mourning alongside the people of Tumbler Ridge.
“Parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love. The nation mourns with you, and Canada stands by you,” Carney said.
The government ordered flags at federal buildings to fly at half-staff for seven days. Carney also canceled a planned trip to Europe.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said the scale of what happened would take time to process. He described the town as an “incredibly strong community.”
Rare but devastating in Canada
School shootings are uncommon in Canada, where gun-control laws are stricter than in many countries. The federal government expanded its ban on firearms it classifies as assault-style weapons after previous mass shootings.
This attack marks the deadliest episode of violence in Canada since 2020, when a gunman in Nova Scotia killed 13 people and set fires that left nine others dead.
Local authorities closed both the high school and the elementary school for the rest of the week as residents grieve and police continue their work.
The Rev. George Rowe, who once taught at the high school and whose children studied there, said the building would never feel the same.
“To walk through the corridors of that school will never be the same again,” he said.
Flags at government buildings will be flown at half-staff for seven days. Carney also canceled a planned trip to Europe for the Munich Security Conference.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said the full impact of the events would take time to process but described the town as an “incredibly strong community.”
Rare but devastating in Canada
School shootings are rare in Canada, which has some of the world’s stricter gun-control laws. The federal government has introduced additional measures in recent years, including an expanded ban on firearms it classifies as assault-style weapons, following previous mass shootings.
The attack is the deadliest in Canada since 2020, when a gunman in Nova Scotia killed 13 people and set fires that left another nine dead.
Local schools, including the high school and an elementary school, will remain closed for the rest of the week as the community grieves and authorities continue their investigation.
The Rev. George Rowe, who once taught at the high school and whose children attended the school, said walking its halls would never feel the same.
“To walk through the corridors of that school will never be the same again,” he said.
Source: AP News – Suspect in Canada shooting is identified as an 18-year-old with history of police visits to her home
