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Article written by Avalon Stewart, Feb 11th 2026
Tragedy in Tumbler Ridge
Tumbler Ridge School Shooting
Just yesterday, tragedy unfortunately struck the municipality of Tumbler Ridge British Columbia, as nine people are dead, including the suspect, and twenty-seven others are injured after a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. RCMP Sgt. Vanessa Munn said the victims killed at the school include a 39-year-old female educator, three 12-year-old female students and two male students aged 12 and 13. At the home, a 39-year-old woman, the shooter’s mother, and an 11-year-old boy, the shooter’s stepbrother, were found dead. Students from grades 7 through 12 attend Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. The secondary and elementary schools in the remote area will remain closed for the rest of the week.
A makeshift memorial near a middle and high school building where a shooting took place on Tuesday in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (Alana Paterson/The New York Times)
Tumbler Ridge RCMP first received a report of an active shooter at the high school at 2:20 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday and a Police Initiated Public Alert, or emergency alert, was issued as officers responded. Officers entered the school, and “within minutes” the individual confirmed to be the shooter was found dead, B.C. RCMP Commanding Officer Dwayne McDonald said. Multiple victims were found throughout the school, along with the injured. McDonald reported, “We know the sequence of events now is that the incident at the home occurred first, where we have the two deceased family members, and from there, our suspect attended the school and commenced the criminal activity there”.
It has been confirmed that police have identified the suspect as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who was a resident of Tumbler Ridge. Two firearms were recovered at the scene; a long gun and a modified handgun. Police are still working to determine their origins and role in the incident. McDonald did acknowledge the suspect had a firearms licence that had expired, but she didn’t have any firearms registered to her. The commanding officer added that police have attended the same residence previously “a couple years ago” where firearms were seized under the Criminal Code.
This has been one of Canada’s deadliest shootings in decades, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney today called this mass shooting an act of "unheard-of cruelty" and declared the nation to be in mourning. The Prime Minister highlighted the nation's strength during difficult times, saying, “Our ability to come together in crisis is the best of our country— our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other”. Police don’t yet have an idea as to what the suspect’s motive was.
My eepest condolences go out to the victims and family and friends of the victims of this tragic event.
Avalon Stewart
Avalon Stewart
Avalon is from Mount Vernon, Washington. She is a Freshman at Whitman College and plans to major in Psychology and Politics. In high school she competed in Speech and Debate all four years and even was state champ in Congressional Debate. She is passionate about politics and the process of delivering news that people can trust.
Lead editor for The Lamplight
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