TEN PEOPLE ARE DEAD, including an 11-year-old boy and his mother, after an 18-year-old gunwoman opened fire inside a high school in the remote Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, in what authorities describe as one of the deadliest school shootings in the country’s recent history.
The violence unfolded on the afternoon of February 10, 2026, when police say Jesse Van Rootselaar first killed two family members at a nearby residence before driving to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and shooting students and staff. Eight people died at the school, including the shooter, who turned the gun on herself as officers entered the building.
Another 27 people were injured, two critically. In a town of barely 2,700 people, nearly every resident has been touched by the tragedy.
A Small Town Shattered
Tumbler Ridge sits near the Alberta border, surrounded by forest and mountains, far from the urban centres where Canada’s rare mass shootings have typically drawn national attention. Its secondary school serves roughly 175 students from Grades 7 to 12 — a place where teachers know families by name and classrooms double as community hubs.
On Tuesday afternoon, that familiarity dissolved into panic.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they received reports of an active shooter at approximately 1:20 p.m. Officers from the local detachment arrived within two minutes.
“Police from Tumbler Ridge RCMP and surrounding detachments responded immediately with members from the local det detachment arriving within 2 minutes of the initial call. Upon arrival, there was active gunfire and as officers approached the school, rounds were fired in their direction,” RCMP said during a press conference.
Inside the school, students barricaded doors with tables and desks as the sound of gunfire echoed through hallways. Text messages circulated rapidly — some carrying images of bloodied corridors.
Student Darian Quist later described the anguish outside one home connected to the shooting. “We heard his mom. She was in the street crying. She wanted her son’s body.”
Ten Lives Lost
Authorities confirmed 10 deaths in total:
- Two victims at a private residence: the shooter’s mother and her 11-year-old stepbrother.
- Seven victims at the school: a 39-year-old female teacher, three female students and two male students aged between 13 and 17, and another victim who died en route to hospital.
- The shooter, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Initial reports incorrectly cited nine fatalities before police clarified the toll the following day.
Emergency responders treated 27 injured individuals, two of whom suffered serious injuries and were airlifted from Tumbler Ridge by the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service from Grande Prairie, Alberta.
A Swift Police Response
The RCMP issued an emergency alert at approximately 2:15 p.m., urging residents to shelter in place. The alert was lifted at 5:45 p.m.
Officers entering the school found the suspect already dead. Authorities later confirmed she used a long gun and a modified high-powered Desert Eagle handgun. Police have not disclosed whether the weapons were legally obtained.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said investigators have found no evidence that specific victims were targeted.
“There is no information at this point that anyone was specifically targeted,” he said.
The motive remains unclear.
Prior Mental Health Contacts
Police confirmed that they had prior contact with the shooter related to mental health concerns. Officers had previously attended her residence several times and, on some occasions, apprehended her for assessment.
Authorities have not provided further details about those interventions but acknowledged that the history will form part of the ongoing investigation.
National Mourning in a Country Unaccustomed to School Gunfire
Canada enforces strict federal gun control laws and has broadened bans on assault-style weapons in recent years. School shootings remain rare, making the scale of the Tumbler Ridge tragedy especially jarring.
British Columbia Premier David Eby noted the rapid arrival of officers at the scene. Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the nation, underscoring the human cost in a tightly knit community.
“Parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love. The nation mourns with you, and Canada stands by you,” Mr. Carney said.
For a country that often views gun violence as a distant problem, Tuesday’s events landed like a shockwave.
Schools Closed, Community in Grief
School District 59 Peace River South closed both schools in Tumbler Ridge for the remainder of the week, citing the need for mourning and support services. Counsellors have been deployed to assist students, families and staff.
In a town small enough that sirens carry across valleys and neighbours gather quickly at the sound of distress, grief has become communal. Front lawns and sidewalks have begun to fill with flowers and candles.
The investigation continues as authorities piece together the sequence of events that began in a private home and ended in a classroom corridor — a devastating arc that unfolded in less than an hour but will mark Tumbler Ridge for decades.
For now, residents confront an unbearable arithmetic: 10 lives lost, 27 injured, and a community forever altered.
