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Ottawa: An 18-year-old transgender woman has been identified by police as the suspect behind a deadly shooting in British Columbia that left ten people dead, including the gunwoman herself. The attack took place on Tuesday in Tumbler Ridge, a small and remote community of around 2,400 residents in the Pacific province.

Police said the suspect, Jesse Van Rootselaar, first shot her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at their home before heading to the high school she had attended several years earlier. She had dropped out of the school four years ago.

Canada shool shooting

Officers responding to emergency calls arrived at the school within minutes. Inside, they found six victims – a 39-year-old female teacher and five students, including three 12-year-old girls and two boys aged 12 and 13. One victim was located in a stairwell. Police stated there is no evidence at this stage that specific individuals were targeted.

The suspect was later found dead from what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators recovered a long-barrelled firearm and a modified handgun from the scene.

Police Commander Dwayne McDonald said the suspect had a history of mental health concerns. Officers had previously visited the family residence several times and, on more than one occasion, she had been taken for assessment under British Columbia’s Mental Health Act. Although she once held a firearms licence, it had expired. Weapons had previously been seized from the home but were later returned, according to police.

The motive for the attack remains under investigation.

This incident marks Canada’s deadliest mass shooting since 2020, when a gunman in Nova Scotia killed 13 people and set fires that resulted in additional deaths.

Following the tragedy, local authorities announced that both the high school and an elementary school in the district would remain closed for the rest of the week.