Shock and sorrow have gripped the remote Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge after the country’s deadliest school shooting in decades left nine people dead and dozens more wounded on February 10, 2026. The tragedy unfolded at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, nestled in the foothills of British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains, where a female shooter carried out a rampage that has shaken the close-knit community to its core.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the violence began at 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time when emergency calls reported an active shooter at the secondary school. Officers responded with remarkable speed, reaching the scene within two minutes. Despite their swift arrival, they found six people dead inside the school. A seventh victim succumbed to injuries while being transported to hospital. Meanwhile, two more victims were discovered at a nearby residence that authorities believe was connected to the attack. The suspected shooter—a brown-haired woman wearing a dress, as described in an emergency alert—was found dead at the school from what police say was a self-inflicted wound.
In total, more than 25 people were wounded in the attack, including two who were airlifted to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries. About 25 others received treatment at a local medical center for non-life-threatening wounds. The RCMP, led by Superintendent Ken Floyd, have identified the suspect but have not released her name. As of Tuesday night, investigators were still working to determine the shooter’s motive and her connection to the victims. “We are not in a place now to be able to understand why or what may have motivated this tragedy,” Floyd told reporters, adding, “I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why,’ but we will try our best to determine what transpired.”
The scale of the tragedy is particularly devastating for Tumbler Ridge, a town of just 2,400 residents where everyone seems to know each other. The secondary school, which serves only 175 students from Grades 7 to 12, is at the heart of the community. Mayor Darryl Krakowka expressed the collective anguish, saying, “I will know every victim. I’ve been here 19 years, and we’re a small community. I don’t call them residents. I call them family.” He added, “It’s devastating.”
As news of the shooting spread, chaos and fear rippled through the town. Students and teachers barricaded themselves inside classrooms, unsure if the threat had passed. Darian Quist, a 12th-grade student, recalled the moment the alarm sounded: “When I realized it wasn’t a drill, we got tables and barricaded the doors.” In the tense minutes that followed, some students saw disturbing images of the violence circulating on their phones. Outside, anxious parents waited for word about their children’s safety. Shelley Quist, Darian’s mother, described the panic she felt until she saw her son among the students escorted safely out of the building. “It’s one of those things where you just never think this is going to happen,” she said.
The aftermath has left Tumbler Ridge reeling. The Peace River South School District immediately closed both the secondary and elementary schools for the rest of the week. Community centers and churches opened their doors to grieving families, offering what comfort they could as authorities worked through the painstaking process of identifying victims and notifying loved ones. The Rev. George Rowe of the Tumbler Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church described the heavy atmosphere at the recreation center where families awaited news, saying, “It was not a pretty sight. Families are still waiting to hear if it’s their child that’s deceased and because of protocol and procedure, the investigating team is very careful in releasing names. The big thing tonight was my having to walk away and the families still waiting to find out. It is so difficult. Other pastors and counselors are there, so they are not alone.”
National leaders responded swiftly to the tragedy. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney canceled planned trips to Halifax and Munich, including a defense announcement and attendance at the Munich Security Conference. In a statement posted to social media, Carney said, “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 also offered support, saying, “Our hearts are in Tumbler Ridge tonight with the families of those who have lost loved ones. Government will ensure every possible support for community members in the coming days, as we all try to come to terms with this unimaginable tragedy.”
School shootings are rare in Canada, a country with strict gun control laws and a far lower rate of gun ownership compared to the United States. According to an analysis by Canada’s national statistics body, just 38% of homicides in Canada involved a firearm in 2023, compared to 76% in the U.S. The Small Arms Research project estimates there are 35 guns per 100 residents in Canada, compared to 121 per 100 in the U.S. Assault-style rifles, commonly used in mass shootings south of the border, are illegal to purchase in Canada.
The last school shooting of this magnitude in Canada occurred in 1989, when a gunman killed 14 women at École Polytechnique in Montréal. That massacre prompted a national reckoning and led to tighter gun laws. The Tumbler Ridge tragedy also comes less than a year after another mass homicide in British Columbia, when a man drove his SUV into a crowd at a Vancouver street festival, killing 11.
As the investigation continues, many questions remain unanswered. Police have not disclosed the type of weapon used, the identities of the victims, or the nature of the shooter’s relationship to those targeted. Superintendent Floyd emphasized the complexity of the case and the need for patience as authorities work to piece together what happened. Meanwhile, the people of Tumbler Ridge are left to mourn, support one another, and grapple with a sense of disbelief that such violence could strike so close to home.
“To walk through the corridors of that school will never be the same again,” said Rev. Rowe, echoing a sentiment shared by many. For a town that prides itself on its sense of family, the road to healing will be long, but the community’s resilience and solidarity are already evident in the wake of this unimaginable loss.