18-Year-Old Named Tumbler Ridge Shooter in Deadly School Attack
Police identify 18‑year‑old suspect in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting that killed multiple victims, including children, deepening grief and sparking national shock.
An 18-year-old man has been identified as the suspect in a shooting in British Columbia, Canada, that killed eight people and injured dozens more.
Police said Jesse Van Rootselaar was found dead at the scene, having shot himself. The motive for the attack is not yet known.
Six people were killed and at least 25 others were injured at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Two others – the suspect's mother, 39, and his half-brother, 11 – were found dead in a nearby home.
Officials said Van Rootselaar was born biologically male but identified as female.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Deputy Commissioner Dwayne MacDonald said, "I can say Jesse was born biologically male and began transitioning to female about six years ago."
MacDonald said the shooting first occurred at a nearby home, then the suspect went to school.
Those killed at the school included a 39-year-old female teacher, three female students, all 12 years old, and two male students, one 12 and the other 13 years old.
Authorities do not believe any other suspects are involved in the shooting.
Police said they had visited the suspect's family home several times over the past several years, some of which were related to mental health concerns.
MacDonald said Van Rootselaar previously held a valid gun license, which has now expired.
Police said Van Rootselaar left Tumbler Ridge Secondary School four years ago.
At approximately 13:30 local time (20:30 GMT) on Tuesday, police received a report of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. MacDonald said officers arrived on scene within two minutes of the call, heard active gunfire, and entered the school.
Within minutes, they located the shooter, who police say had shot himself. Officers found two weapons at the scene – a long gun and a modified handgun. However, McDonald said it wasn't immediately clear what role the weapons played in the shooting.
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Police then began searching for victims at the school. Two victims were airlifted to the hospital and remain there.
Tumbler Ridge is home to approximately 2,400 people, and its secondary school has 160 students in grades 7-12.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said students and teachers witnessed "unparalleled brutality" during the shooting, and that some victims are still "fighting for their lives" in the hospital.
Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka told that the community is small and close-knit, and he hopes all the victims are people he knows.
"I know every single victim. I've been here 19 years, and we're a small community," he said after leaving town hall when the shelter-in-place order was lifted. "I don't call them residents. I call them family."
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