Canada is in mourning after a tragic shooting in the small town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, where nine people were killed and at least 25 others injured on Wednesday.
The deadly attacks, which occurred at both a secondary school and a nearby home, mark one of the nation’s worst shootings in decades.
Six victims were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday, February 10, with a seventh dying on the way to the hospital.
Authorities also located the suspected shooter at the school, appearing to have died from a self‑inflicted injury. Two additional victims were discovered at a nearby residence, which police believe is connected to the attacks.
Tumbler Ridge, a remote community of just 2,400 residents located roughly 415 miles north of Vancouver, is home to a secondary school with about 175 students. A student told CBC that during the shooting, classmates helped “get tables and barricade the doors” to protect themselves. “It felt like I was somewhere I had only seen on TV,” Darian Quist, a Grade 12 student, told CBC.
Canadian federal police Chief Superintendent Ken Floyd confirmed that the suspect found dead at the school matched the description sent in an alert to residents’ phones earlier in the day.
The alert described the individual as a “female in a dress with brown hair.”
While authorities believe they know the attacker’s identity, they have not released further details, including any connection the suspect may have had to the school. Floyd acknowledged that determining the motive will be difficult:
“I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why,’ but we will try our best to understand what transpired,” he said during a virtual news conference. “We are not in a place to understand why or what may have motivated this tragedy.”
In a statement, the RCMP said:
“As part of the initial response to the active shooting, police entered the school to locate the threat. During the search, officers located multiple victims. An individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self‑inflicted injury.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his condolences, calling the incident a “horrific” tragedy:
“I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby described the shooting as an “unimaginable tragedy” and urged the community to support one another:
“I’m asking the people of British Columbia to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight,” he said.
Mass shootings are rare in Canada. The country’s deadliest previous attacks include the 1989 Montreal massacre, which claimed 14 lives, and a 2020 rampage in Nova Scotia that killed 22 people. In response, Canada introduced stricter gun control measures, including a national buyback program for military‑style firearms.
Authorities have not yet released the victims’ identities or confirmed details about the firearms used. About 100 students and staff were evacuated from the school, which — along with the town’s elementary school and a local college — remained closed for the rest of the week.
Tumbler Ridge, founded as a coal‑mining town in the Rocky Mountain foothills, is surrounded by wilderness and located near the Alberta border. The shooting is considered the third‑deadliest in Canadian history.
