Canada Mourns at Tumbler Ridge Memorial After Massacre Kills 9
British Columbia, Canada – Candles flickered against the cold northern air as residents gathered in Tumbler Ridge for a solemn memorial, their small town wrapped in grief too heavy for words. In a community of roughly 2,500 people, nearly every face in the crowd carried a personal story of loss, shock, or survival.
The vigil came days after a devastating mass shooting that left nine people dead, including the shooter, and 27 others injured, marking one of the deadliest such attacks in modern Canadian history.
The violence unfolded on the afternoon of February 10, when police received reports of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Responding officers discovered multiple victims at the school and at a nearby residence, shattering what had been an ordinary winter day in the remote British Columbia town.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the suspect, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, first went to a home in the community, where he fatally shot two people, including his step-mother and 11-year-old stepbrother. He then travelled to the secondary school and opened fire inside the building.
At the school, five students and one educational assistant were killed. Police later found the gunman dead from a self-inflicted wound.
“During the search, officers located multiple victims. An individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self‑inflicted injury,” the RCMP said in a news release.
“Six additional individuals, not including the suspect, have been located deceased inside the school. Two victims have been airlifted to hospital with serious or life‑threatening injuries. A third victim died while being transported to hospital.”
RCMP confirmed that 27 other people were injured. Victims were treated both within the community and at medical facilities outside the region. Several remained hospitalized in serious condition in the days following the attack. Authorities have not yet released full details about all those injured.
The shooter, Van Rootselaar is reported to have dropped out of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School about four years earlier and was not a current student at the time of the attack.
Police said Van Rootselaar was known to authorities through previous interactions, including multiple visits related to mental-health concerns over several years.
Van Rootselaar was born biologically male and had publicly identified as female for several years. Police noted that it was too early to ascribe the motive to gender identity, and no evidence currently links any specific motive to their identity or background.
As flowers accumulated at the foot of the memorial, national leaders added their voices to the chorus of mourning.
In a statement shared on social media, Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by the shootings and offered prayers and deepest condolences to the families and friends who lost loved ones. He said he joined Canadians in grieving with those whose lives had been changed irreversibly and expressed gratitude for the courage and selflessness of first responders who risked their lives to protect others.
“Our ability to come together in crisis is the best of our country, our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other,” the Prime Minister wrote.
National leaders joined the mourning. Mark Carney, along with opposition figures, attended vigils and offered condolences to grieving families, emphasizing unity in the face of tragedy. Flags across Canada were ordered to fly at half-mast as a mark of respect for those killed.
Provincial and local officials pledged continued support for victims and their families, including expanded counselling services to help residents navigate the trauma that now lingers in classrooms, homes, and quiet streets.
The victims ranged in age, including young students and a 39-year-old staff member whose loss has deeply shaken the school community.
Meanwhile, the RCMP continues to investigate the sequence of events and the motive behind the attack. Authorities have stressed that no definitive motive has yet been established.
As the memorial candles burn low, Tumbler Ridge stands in shared sorrow. In a town where neighbours know one another by name, the loss feels intimate and immeasurable. The path forward will be slow, but the community’s collective resolve to remember, to support one another, and to heal remains steadfast.
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