Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia: 10 confirmed dead, 25 injured in mass shooting (2/10/2026)

[Kaley Smith]

You can post your condolences to the people of Tumbler Ridge on this British Columbia government site: Common Hosted Forms Service

 

[Dotta]

" 'No words that capture the horror’: ​

small Canada town shattered by mass school shooting.​

Remote coalmining community of Tumbler Ridge struggles to make sense of attack that has left Canada in shock.

'There are no words in the English language
that capture the horror of what happened',
said provincial lawmaker.

A town councillor whose wife is a teacher at the school, said
his 'heart and soul are heavy'
as residents struggled to make sense of the tragedy.

'I cannot stop thinking about the children, the teachers, and the first responders
who had to live through such a terrifying experience.
Like many in our community,
I felt the fear,
the kind that sits in your heart and soul that doesn’t let go.
The fear that I lost a loved one.
It is something
none of us should ever have to experience'.”

‘No words that capture the horror’: small Canada town shattered by mass school shooting

Remote coalmining community of Tumbler Ridge struggles to make sense of attack that has left Canada in shock

www.theguardian.com

 

[Skigh]

Trans shooter who went on rampage in school seen for first time

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The transgender gunman who murdered his mother and brother before killing six people in the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history is seen happily gripping a rifle in a disturbing photo.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon.

A female teacher was killed, alongside three girls and two boys aged between 13 and 17.

 

[Yellowbelly]

Trans shooter who went on rampage in school seen for first time

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The transgender gunman who murdered his mother and brother before killing six people in the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history is seen happily gripping a rifle in a disturbing photo.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon.

A female teacher was killed, alongside three girls and two boys aged between 13 and 17.

Isn't the real issue here that the police seized the guns at the property, presumably the mother's, but then gave them back, even through somebody resident at the property had gone through the Canadian equivalent of being sectioned.

 

[MistyWaters]

Isn't the real issue here that the police seized the guns at the property, presumably the mother's, but then gave them back, even through somebody resident at the property had gone through the Canadian equivalent of being sectioned.

Do we know if police had the right to refuse the return of the guns for that reason because without knowing that it can’t be assumed they had any options. Considering it’s the gun owners responsibility to safety and security store guns, I’m not so sure that possible mental health issues involving other family members living in the same household would be a factor considered by police but it would be interesting to know the answer for sure.

JMO

 

[EspressoBean]

There were more fatalities in 1989, but yesterday's shooting did have more victims.

The thing that's always gotten me about the 1989 shooting was that one of the police officers called to the scene showed up knowing that he might find his own daughter dead, and he did.

And of note, Polytechnique is a University, not to detract from that tragedy, but it is not categorically the same as a school shooting since the targets and victims there were adults.

 

[otto]

Guns were removed from the house, but the owner petitioned for them to be returned even though guns had been removed by RCMP and Jesse had been detained by RCMP under the mental health act.

The owner of the guns is unnamed, but it must be an adult who lived at the home. Jesse began to transition at age 12, but birthday cake photos at age 13 have the word "boy" written on the cake. I'm curious about family support of Jesse's decision.

Jesse's mother led a nomadic life, per court rulings, and was ordered to remain in BC and to provide telephone access to Jesse's father. Jesse's mother was proud of Jesse's youtube uploads about guns.

"According to police, the 18-year-old was assigned male at birth, but began transitioning to female about six years ago.​

...​

​

Strang’s children travelled the country with their mother, who was ordered not to remove them from British Columbia after an application from her former partner.​

​

“These children have led an almost nomadic life, from what I have been told, with multiple moves over the last five years between Newfoundland, Grand Cache and Powell River,” Justice Anthony Saunder wrote in a ruling ordering Strang to provide her children telephone access to their father. “It can hardly be the case that the children are tied in any meaningful sense to that one location.”​

...​

​

“Check out my oldest son Jesse Strang's YouTube channel. He posts about hunting, self reliance, guns and stuff he likes to do. He doesn’t go on much other social media so this is his way of sharing his life.”​

...​

​

Van Rootselaar had a firearms licence which expired in 2024. Firearms had been seized two years ago under the Criminal Code, but the lawful owner of the weapons petitioned for their return ... the suspect was apprehended under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital for assessment."​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/shooter-tumbler-ridge-what-we-know-teenage-suspect-9.7085858

Trans shooter who went on rampage in school seen for first time

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[otto]

"The transgender teenager struggled with his physical appearance and was fixated with guns and drugs. Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old from the remote town of Tumbler Ridge who was born a male, wrote online about his 6ft frame and his desire to be a “petite” woman.
...

Van Rootselaar, who described himself as “mtf” in posts (shorthand for male to female), recorded a video of himself in October 2023 firing a high-powered Desert Eagle handgun at a shooting range and shared his footage on a forum for other transgender people interested in guns.
...

Court records reveal how Van Rootselaar, a school dropout, and his five siblings had led a “nomadic lifestyle” that constantly uprooted them between Newfoundland and Powell River.
...

Police said there was a history of officers attending the shooter’s home for mental health-related call-outs, some of which concerned guns. There was no evidence to suggest he was bullied at school for being transgender, police said.
...

His mother shared a photograph in August 2024 of a gun cabinet housing five rifles and rounds of ammunition. “Think it’s time to take them out for some target practice,” read the photograph’s caption.

Revealed: 6ft trans school shooter wanted to be ‘petite’

Social media posts uncovered by The Telegraph reveal mental health issues of teen who killed eight

www.telegraph.co.uk