Canada Police Name 18-Year-Old Suspect in Shootings That Killed Nine

The deceased suspect in a mass shooting that left nine people dead in a small town in western Canada was named as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who was known to police.

Officers found Van Rootselaar dead after the shooting on Tuesday afternoon at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School from what they believe was a self-inflicted wound. Six others were killed at the school, including four 12-year-old students and one 13-year-old, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

Van Rootselaar is also suspected of killing her mother and step-brother, whose bodies were discovered at a residence, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald told reporters during a news conference Wednesday.

Police corrected the death toll to nine after originally saying that it was 10. A young woman with significant injuries whom they initially said died in transit to hospital has in fact survived.

The tragedy in Tumbler Ridge, a remote town more than 1,100 kilometers (683 miles) northeast of Vancouver by road, has shocked Canada. It’s one of the worst mass shootings in the nation’s history, and the event has drawn condolences from leaders around the world including King Charles III.

Prime Minister Mark Carney postponed a defense announcement and canceled plans to travel to Germany for the Munich Security Conference. Several members of his cabinet will head to Tumbler Ridge, along with BC Premier David Eby. The House of Commons ended its session early, following a moment of silence and short speeches from Carney and the leaders of opposition parties.

“Yesterday morning, parents in Tumbler Ridge sent their children off to school, and some will never be able to hug their children again. These children and their teachers bore witness to unheard-of cruelty,” Carney said. “I want everyone to know this: our entire country stands with you.”

Carney appeared near tears speaking to reporters earlier Wednesday, calling it a “difficult day for our nation.” The Canadian flag will be lowered to half-mast at Parliament and across federal buildings for the next week, he said.

“Devastation is the best word that I can come up with,” Larry Neufeld, a provincial legislator who represents the area, said on CBC Radio. “It’s not strong enough.”

Tumbler Ridge has a population of about 2,600, and the high school has about 160 students.

The killing at the residence happened first, then the suspect moved to the school, police said. Officers responded within two minutes to reports of an active shooter at the school at about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday.

Van Rootselaar was born as a biological male and approximately six years ago began to transition to female, and identified as female, McDonald said.

McDonald said the police can’t say anything about a motive yet. The investigation is ongoing.

A long gun and a modified handgun were recovered at the crime scene. “Police have attended that residence in the past a couple of years where firearms were seized under the Criminal Code,” McDonald said. “The lawful owner petitioned for those firearms to be returned, and they were.”

There was a history of police attendance at the family residence, with some of those calls related to concerns about Van Rootselaar’s mental health, McDonald said. On different occasions, she was apprehended under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital for follow-up, he said.

She dropped out of school about four years ago, McDonald added.

About 25 people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said Tuesday. Two people who had been airlifted to hospital were in critical but stable condition, according to McDonald.

On Wednesday afternoon, a GoFundMe page had raised more than C$75,000 ($55,000) for a 12-year-old girl being treated for life-threatening gunshot wounds at Vancouver Children’s Hospital.

Photograph: Flowers outside of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in the small town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, on Feb. 11, 2026; photo credit: Paige Taylor White/AFP/Getty Images

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.

Topics
Law Enforcement
Canada