Canada school shooting latest: Police identify suspect as 18-year-old who killed eight people, including mother and brother

INDEPENDENT
Police identified 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar as the suspected shooter
Alex Croft & Ariana Baio

Wednesday 11 February 2026 / British Columbia 

An 18-year-old girl was identified as the person who fatally shot six people at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and two other people at a private residence Tuesday in one of Canada’sdeadliest mass shootings in history. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon that Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at the private residence before opening fire at the school.

Six people were killed at the high school – a 39-year-old female educator, three 12-year-old female students, a 12-year-old male student and a 13-year-old male student. RCMP have not publicly identified the names of the victims yet.

At least 27 people were injured in the mass shooting, two of whom were airlifted to hospitals and are in critical condition.

Students and faculty at the high school, located in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, spent hours barricaded inside classrooms, offices and other corners of the school after the principal directed everyone to lock their doors.

Investigators have not identified a motive for the shooting, but said that police had responded to calls at the residence multiple times over the last several years due to “concerns” about the suspect’s “mental health.”

KEY POINTS
Suspected shooter identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar
Five students, aged 12-13, were killed
Royal Family is 'profoundly shocked and saddened' by shooting
Carney thanks world leaders for compassion - no mention of United States though
Mapped: Where is Tumbler Ridge?
Shooter fatally shot mother and younger sibling

RECENT UPDATES
2 hours ago

• Authorities recovered a long gun and modified handgun
• Two firearms were recovered from the scene – a long gun and a modified handgun.
• It is unclear who the firearms were registered to. While the suspect had a gun license that expired in 2024, she did not have any firearms registered to her.
• Authorities said the home where the suspect lived had a history of secured firearms.

Ariana Baio11 February 2026 21:30

3 hours ago

• Son of pastor is among the victims
• The 12-year-old son of Pastor Abel Mwansa and Bwalya Chisanga is among the children who were fatally shot in a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday.
• The boy was identified as Abel Mwsana Jr. in a Facebook post by Burning Bush Ministries, City of Grace Chapel.
• “The loss has brought profound grief to the family, the church, and all who knew and loved him.”

Ariana Baio11 February 2026 21:00

3 hours ago

• Police revise death toll numbers to nine
• Police in Canada said Wednesday afternoon nine people, including the shooter, had died in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting – revising earlier numbers that claimed 10 people died.
• Officials said in a press conference that an individual who was critically injured was believed to have died on the way to the hospital. However, that individual is still alive and in critical condition.

Ariana Baio11 February 2026 20:45

3 hours ago

• Five students, aged 12-13, were killed
• Canadian officials said that a total of five students were killed in Tuesday’s shooting, ranging from 12 to 13 years old.
• Three 12-year-old female students were among those fatally shot, as well as a 12-year-old male.
• Another male student, 13 years old, was also killed.

Ariana Baio11 February 2026 20:22

4 hours ago

• Shooter fatally shot mother and younger sibling
• Police said the adult woman and male youth who were found deceased at the private residence were identified as the mother and brother or stepbrother of the suspected shooter.

Ariana Baio11 February 2026 20:04

4 hours ago

• Suspected shooter identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police identified 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar as the suspected shooter.
• Police said they had visited the home of the suspected shooter in the past due to “mental health issues.”
• The suspected shooter is believed to have fatally shot her mother and younger male sibling at her home before opening fire at the school, police said.
• Dwayne McDonald, the deputy commissioner for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia, said that the suspect was born biologically male but had begun transitioning to a woman approximately six years ago.