One photo, shared by News.com.au, shows Van Rootselaar grinning while holding a rifle. Other images posted on Facebook by their grandmother were meant to celebrate Jesse’s 14th birthday in August 2021, with the caption: “Happy 14th birthday to our grandson Jesse!! Love you always!! XOXO.”

Suspect’s background and history

Authorities say Van Rootselaar, who had dropped out of high school four years ago, had a history of mental health struggles.

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald confirmed that police had previously visited the family home multiple times due to concerns about their wellbeing. “On different occasions the suspect was apprehended for assessment and follow up,” McDonald said.

Van Rootselaar was born male but publicly identified as female, and firearms had been seized from the family home in the past, though they were later returned after a successful petition from a lawful owner. Social media posts indicate that Van Rootselaar had access to firearms and was passionate about hunting.

Jennifer Strang, the suspected shooter’s mother, shared a 2024 Facebook post showing a cabinet holding what looked like six hunting rifles, captioned, “Think it’s time to take them out for some target practice.”

Police have not confirmed how the weapons used in the attack were obtained.

The shooting and its aftermath

The shooting prompted a townwide alert in Tumbler Ridge, a remote community in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, with roughly 2,400 residents. Students and staff barricaded themselves inside classrooms for over two hours before being safely escorted out. Van Rootselaar was found dead at the school from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, bringing the death toll to nine.

Flags in Tumbler Ridge remained at half-mast on Thursday, and residents have been leaving flowers, teddy bears, and notes at a growing memorial.

“Small towns are small towns. We look out for each other. It’s not like living in a city where you don’t know your neighbor,” resident Shelley Quist told BBC.

Her son, Darian, 17, described the classroom where he hid with other students: “We blocked the doors and remained there for about two hours, until police escorted us out. I know people who lost their lives are real.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the tragedy in Parliament: “What happened has left our nation in shock and all of us in mourning… These children and their teachers bore witness to unheard-of cruelty. I want everyone to know this: our entire country stands with you, on behalf of all Canadians.”

He also ordered flags on all government buildings to fly at half-mast for seven days, emphasizing unity in grief. “We will get through this. We will learn from this,” Carney said.

Community response

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Tumbler Ridge’s main square and outside the British Columbia legislature in Victoria. Speaker Raj Chouhan said: “We can only pray together, hold hands together, and send our love to all those people.”

British Columbia Premier David Eby noted that authorities were coordinating with public health officials to review past interactions with the suspect, adding that Van Rootselaar had struggled with mental health issues for years.

Van Rootselaar’s mother had previously shared her political views online, calling herself a “conservative-leaning libertarian” and advocating for protections for trans youth. “Do you have any idea how many kids are killing themselves over this kind of hate?” she wrote in a 2024 Instagram post.

The Tumbler Ridge shooting has left a nation in mourning, with a small town grappling with the unimaginable loss of young lives and their teachers.

As families and communities come together to remember the victims, the tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of safety—even in the most remote corners of the world.