Grieving parents have paid tribute to their children after a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada, left eight dead.
Tumbler Ridge RCMP were on the scene within two minutes on Tuesday afternoon after receiving a report of an active shooter and arrived to the sound of gunfire.
After rounds were fired in their direction, officers discovered the shooter dead inside the school from a self-inflicted wound.
Highlights
- Eight people died in the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School mass shooting in British Columbia, including students, an educator, and family members of the shooter.
- Shooter identified as 18-year-old transgender woman Jesse Van Rootselaar, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the school.
- Two victims, including 12-year-old Maya and 19-year-old Paige, are fighting for their lives after critical injuries from the shooting.
Eight people were killed in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge
Image credits: Jordan Kealy/Facebook
In an update on Wednesday, Tumbler Ridge RCMP identified the shooter as transgender woman Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18.
While officers had initially stated that nine people were killed by Van Rootselaar, they confirmed that there were in fact eight victims.
Those include a 39-year-old female educator, three 12-year-old female students, and two male students, aged 12 and 13.
Two additional victims – Van Rootselaar’s mother, 39, and stepbrother, 11 – were found dead in a local residence.
A 12-year-old girl and a 19-year-old woman are both fighting for their lives after being airlifted to hospital.
Around 25 people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
What we know about the victims
One of the victims has been identified by his family as Abel Mwansa Jr., 12.
His father, Abel Mwansa, a pastor, said in a statement on social media that he was a “good kid” who was focused on his studies and loved school.
He was due to pick Abel up from church that evening.
Mwansa said, “Our son went to school this morning and it happened that someone came to school with a GUN went to my kids classroom shot some kids and my son was killed too just like that. Your mom, Shakainah, Jasail and I will greatly miss you Abel. J.”
Abel Mwansa Jr. Image credits: Facebook/Abel Mwansa
“Seeing you leaving the house with that beautiful smile while going to Tumbler Ridge High school was so refreshing, this is because I saw a bright future, a leader an engineer also a scientist in you, because you loved doing experiments with explanation,” Mwansa said in a separate post, sharing a picture of his son on Facebook.
“I invested so much in you to make you a better person, one that will change the world. If I had power to give life I would have brought you back to life together with others that where killed alongside you but son my power is limited, and seeing your child murdered at this age is heart breaking.”
“My son I treasured the moment I spent with you, you were a great son still remains a great one to me,” he added.
Abel Mwansa Jr. Image credits: Facebook/Abel Mwansa
Kylie Smith, 12, was also identified by her family as being one of the victims who tragically lost her life.
Her father, Lance Younge, described her as the “light of her family” as he made a plea to focus on the victims of the shooting and not the perpetrator.
“She was just a beautiful soul. She loves art and anime. She wanted to go to school in Toronto, and we just loved her so much,” Younge told CTV News.
Kylie Smith. Image credits: GoFundMe
“She was thriving in high school, she never hurt a soul. She was a supporter of LGBTQ and she was the last person who ever deserved this.”
In a plea to honor the lives of the victims, he added, “You want to put someone's picture up on the news? Put my daughter's picture up.
“Let's stop giving this psychopath the recognition, because these kids were lost before they got to become teenagers. Let's put these pictures up, remember them and not this murderer.”
A fundraising page has been set up by Kylie's aunt to help aid the family with costs and expenses in the coming months.
“Yesterday our family received the gut-wrenching news that our beautiful Kylie May was confirmed to be one of the victims in the Tumbler Ridge school shooting,” Shanon Dycke wrote.
“She was just 12 years old. We are completely devastated and have no words as we try to process the magnitude of the situation.”
Kylie Smith. Image credits: GoFundMe
One of the victims fighting for her life in hospital has been identified as 12-year-old Maya by her mother, Cia Later.
In a post to social media on Wednesday, Later confirmed that her daughter had suffered a gunshot wound to her head and her neck.
“We were warned that the damage to her brain was too much for her to endure, and she wouldn't make the night,” she wrote.
“I can feel her in my heart I can feel her saying it's going to be ok. I cannot reply to the mountain of messages we've received, but know we are so grateful for all the love and support... She's here.. for how long we dont know. It was just a normal day.”
12-year-old Maya. Image credits: Facebook/Cia Later
“Our community is shattered. Our baby needs a miracle.... My heart bleeds for everyone who is trying to process this horrific string of events. Far too many are grieving already. Please. Wish her luck.”
A fundraising page to help support Maya’s family has been launched.
The other student fighting for her life in hospital has been identified as Paige in a fundraiser set up by her brother Nicholas Hoekstra.
Paige. Image credits: GoFundMe
“Yesterday everything changed for our family. Paige was airlifted to Vancouver after being shot, and she is in surgery right now,” he wrote.
“We’re still trying to wrap our heads around it. It all happened so fast. Watching someone you love go through something like this is something you can’t really prepare for. We’re scared, we’re hoping, and we’re just taking it one moment at a time.”
What we know about the shooter
Police have identified the shooter as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who was a resident of Tumbler Ridge.
Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Dwayne McDonald, said that Van Rootselaar was born a “biological male who approximately six years ago began to transition to female.”
He told reporters that the force had chosen to identify Van Rootselaar as female as this is how “they chose to be identified.”
Jesse Van Rootselaar. Image credits: Facebook
McDonald confirmed that Van Rootselaar dropped out of the school about four years ago, but said there was currently no suggestion that she was being bullied.
He said that police had contact with her multiple times over the past years, particularly regarding mental health concerns.
McDonald also noted that she had previously been detained on multiple occasions for evaluation and follow-up under the Mental Health Act.
When asked whether any of the suspect’s past encounters with officers involved weapons, McDonald confirmed that they did.
Jesse Van Rootselaar. Image credits: Facebook
He noted that police had responded to the suspect’s residence about two years earlier, during which firearms were confiscated under the Criminal Code.
The deputy commissioner added that the registered owner later applied to have the weapons returned, and the request was approved.
"I believe she had a license which had expired in 2024, she did not have any firearms registered to her,” McDonald told reporters.
Two firearms, a long gun and a modified handgun, were recovered by responding officers at the scene.
Jesse Van Rootselaar. Image credits: Facebook
Police said they were unable to confirm specifics of any relationship between Van Rootselaar and some of the victims.
“We understand the community has questions and wants to understand the motive behind this tragic incident,” McDonald said.
“We do believe the suspect acted alone and there are currently no other outstanding suspects. Our investigators remain on scene, actively gathering information to determine the full circumstances of what transpired.”