"Canada's Worst Mass Shooting"...Suspect Is 18-Year-Old Transgender Woman With Mental Health History

Shooting at Tumbler Ridge school in Canada...9 dead

Regarding the mass shooting that took place at a school in a remote mountain town in western Canada, the police stated that the suspect is an 18-year-old transgender woman who had been experiencing mental health issues.

Canada school shooting...at least 9 dead

Tumbler Ridge School in British Columbia, Canada, where a mass shooting occurred. AFP Yonhap News

According to AP and AFP on the 11th (local time), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police identified the suspect in the shooting at a school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, the previous day as Jessie Van Rutschella, who has a history of mental health problems. The police said the suspect is a transgender person who underwent gender reassignment surgery from male to female. However, the motive for the crime has not yet been determined. Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald of the provincial police said, "There is a record of police being dispatched to that household, and some of those calls were related to mental health issues."

The police revised the death toll from this incident from 10 to 9. The dead include one 39-year-old female teacher, three 12-year-old female students, and two male students aged between 12 and 13. The suspect's 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother were found dead at their home near the school, and the suspect took her own life immediately after the shooting.

More than 25 people were injured, and among them, two in critical condition were airlifted. The police arrived at the scene within two minutes of the first shots being fired and said gunfire was still ongoing at that time. Deputy Commissioner McDonald said, "Shots were also fired at the officers as they entered the school."

Canadian prime minister: "The whole country is grieving"

Carney Mark, Prime Minister of Canada. AFP Yonhap News Agency

Testimonies from residents also followed. Resident Shelley Quist, who said her son was in the locked-down school for more than two hours at the time of the incident, recounted, "The 7th and 8th graders (equivalent to ages 12 to 13) were in the library when the shooter went right in there." She added, "I heard a neighbor who lost her 12-year-old son crying out in the street, trying to find her child's body."

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada addressed the incident in Parliament, saying, "The whole country is grieving with you," and "Canada will stand by your side," offering condolences to the families of the victims. Having canceled a planned visit to Germany, Prime Minister Carney said flags at government buildings would be flown at half-mast for seven days, stressing, "We will overcome this crisis."

Tumbler Ridge, where the incident occurred, borders the province of Alberta and is a small city located more than 1,000 kilometers northeast of Vancouver. According to the provincial government, Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has about 175 students enrolled in grades 7 through 12.

Could become the worst mass shooting in Canadian history

A mass shooting occurred at a school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. AFP Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Canada enforces relatively strict gun control laws, so school shootings are rare. However, given the number of deaths and the nature of the crime, this incident is being cited as a possible candidate to be recorded as one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history.

In April 2020, a mass shooting in Nova Scotia left 22 people dead. At the time, the gunman disguised himself as a police officer and moved through several communities over more than 12 hours while carrying out the attacks, sparking controversy. Immediately after this incident, the Canadian government banned 1,500 types of semi-automatic rifles with powerful firepower, commonly referred to as assault-style weapons, for civilian use.

Earlier, in December 1989, a 25-year-old man opened fire at the engineering school Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, killing 14 female students. It is recorded as the worst anti-feminist attack in Canadian history. Marking the 35th anniversary of the Montreal shooting in December 2024, the Canadian government additionally banned the sale, purchase, and import of 324 models of assault-style firearms.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.