Tumbler Ridge Devastated by Deadly Mass Shooting
On February 10, Jesse Van Rootselaar, also known as Jesse Strang, killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The victims included the killer's mother and half-brother, who were shot at home.
Van Rootselaar then proceeded to a local secondary school, where six more individuals were murdered, five of whom were twelve- or thirteen-year-old students. Twenty-seven others were injured in the incident before Van Rootselaar committed suicide.
This event marked the deadliest Canadian school shooting in nearly four decades and the highest-casualty mass-shooting event in the nation’s history.
Community Impact
The population of Tumbler Ridge is approximately 2,400 residents. Many community members likely had connections to the victims due to the town's small size.
Killer's Identity and Police Statement
According to Royal Canadian Mounted Police deputy commissioner Dwayne McDonald, Jesse Van Rootselaar was a "biological male" who "approximately six years ago began to transition to female and identified as female, both socially and publicly."
In line with Canadian policies implemented in 2017, police officials referred to the killer using female pronouns.
Background and Unclear Motive
Investigations revealed Van Rootselaar to be an eighteen-year-old man, a middle-school dropout with various mental-health afflictions, including gender dysphoria. Digital evidence suggested a preoccupation with firearms and violence. The killer sometimes wore makeup and a dress. The motive for the rampage remains unknown.
It was reported that the killer's mother had been sympathetic to her child's announced transition; however, Van Rootselaar killed her during the rampage, an act reportedly attempted previously.