An 18-year-old identified by police as Jesse Van Rootselaar carried out a deadly shooting in the Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge that left multiple people dead and many more injured on Wednesday.Canadian police said the violence began at a family home near the town. There, Van Rootselaar shot and killed her 39-year-old mother and her 11-year-old stepbrother. After those killings, she traveled to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where she opened fire randomly.At the school, six people, a teacher and five students, were found dead by responding officers. Dozens more suffered gunshot injuries and were taken to hospitals. Police arrived after the first report of an active shooter and found Van Rootselaar dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the school. Nine people died in total, including the shooter, school victims, and the shooter’s family.
Shooter was transgender; mother had opposed anti-trans hate
Jesse Van Rootselaar was born male and began transitioning six years ago and identified as female. Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed this at a news conference on Wednesday, according to USA Today. In the days following the mass shooting, a past social media video of Van Rootselaar’s mother, Jennifer Strang, went viral. In that video, Strang spoke about the harm caused by online hate and urged people to “do better” and not spread hateful comments about transgender children. In the clip, she warned that persistent online hostility could contribute to serious harm for young people.There is no official evidence linking that video or Strang’s views to her daughter’s actions on the day of the shooting. Canadian police and other authorities continue to investigate what led to this tragedy.Police also said Van Rootselaar had a history of mental health-related contacts with law enforcement in the years before the shooting. Officers had been called to her family’s home multiple times for mental health-related concerns, and at least once police seized firearms from the residence and later returned them. Authorities said she acted alone. They said there is no sign that she picked specific people to attack at the school. Investigators have not yet said why she carried out the shooting. The reason for the attack is still unknown.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and other officials expressed deep sorrow and national mourning after the tragedy. They ordered flags at federal buildings flown at half-mast and offered condolences to victims’ families while investigators continue their work.
