RCMP Say 18-Year-Old Killed Eight In Tumbler Ridge Attacks
RCMP said on Feb. 11 that 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people and died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot after attacks at her home and Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
Overview
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said on Feb. 11 that 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar first killed her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at their home and then attacked Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where officers found a 39-year-old teacher and five students ages 12 to 13 dead, before Van Rootselaar died of an apparent self-inflicted wound.
The killings represent Canada’s deadliest rampage since 2020 and occurred in Tumbler Ridge, a town officials described as having about 2,400 residents while another report lists 2,700, prompting Prime Minister Mark Carney's office to order flags at government buildings flown at half-staff for seven days, his office said.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said police recovered a long gun and a modified handgun, that officers arrived two minutes after the initial call, and that investigators are examining prior police visits for mental-health concerns and firearms seized earlier and later returned.
Police said more than 25 people were wounded in the attacks, the provincial government website lists Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as having 175 students in grades 7 to 12, and local resident Shelley Quist said her 17-year-old son was locked down for more than two hours.
Investigators said they have not determined a motive and are probing how Van Rootselaar obtained the firearms, and officials said schools in the district will remain closed this week as forensic and digital examinations continue.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources foreground community grief and then pivot to the shooter’s background, emphasizing police-reported mental‑health contacts, seized firearms, and ADL findings of online radicalization. Editorial choices — selection of authorities, placement of transgender identity and social-media posts, and prominence of official quotes — frame the story around individual pathology and extremist online influence rather than systemic causes.
Sources (8)
FAQ
Jesse Van Rootselaar was an 18-year-old trans woman from Tumbler Ridge who began transitioning about six years ago. She was a former student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, dropped out four years prior, and had a history of mental health challenges; investigators do not believe she was bullied.
Police recovered a long gun and a modified handgun from the scene at the school.
RCMP officers arrived two minutes after the initial call at approximately 2:20 p.m. MST on February 10, 2026.
Investigators are examining prior police visits related to mental-health concerns, how Van Rootselaar obtained the firearms, and have not determined a motive. No note or communication from the shooter was found, and she is believed to have acted alone.
Flags at government buildings are flown at half-staff for seven days by order of Prime Minister Mark Carney's office. Schools in the district remain closed this week for forensic and digital examinations.
History
5 sources