On a cold Tuesday afternoon, February 10, 2026, the quiet mountain town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, was shattered by one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history. By the end of the day, eight people were dead, more than 25 were injured, and a community of just over 2,700 residents was left reeling, struggling to comprehend the horror that had unfolded in their midst.
The violence began at a family residence, where Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old who had transitioned from male to female about six years ago, killed her mother, 39-year-old Jennifer Strang, and her 11-year-old stepbrother. From there, Van Rootselaar made her way to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, a small academy serving grades 7 through 12 with around 160 students. The carnage that followed would leave six more dead—one teacher and five students—and a nation in mourning.
According to the Associated Press, police responded to a 1:30 p.m. call about an active shooter at the school. Officers arrived within two minutes, heard gunfire, and entered the building, where they discovered Van Rootselaar dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) later recovered two firearms at the scene: a long gun and a modified handgun. The exact role of each weapon in the shooting remains under investigation, but both were used during the attack.
Inside the school, the victims included a 39-year-old female teacher, three 12-year-old female students, and two male students aged 12 and 13. Most were found in the library, with one discovered in a stairwell. The victims’ identities were not immediately released, but the impact on the tight-knit community was painfully clear. As BBC News reported, Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka described his town as “one big family.” Fighting back tears, he told reporters, “Lend your ear when someone needs your ear. Lend your shoulder when someone needs your shoulder. Give somebody a hug.”
The violence at the school came just minutes after the initial murders at the family home. RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald explained that a young family member who survived the attack went to a neighbor, who then called police. Officers arriving at the school were met with gunfire, and the building went into lockdown. For more than two hours, students and teachers barricaded themselves in classrooms, some using desks to block doors. About 100 students were eventually evacuated to safety, their hands raised as they filed past police vehicles and a circling helicopter. A makeshift memorial of flowers and stuffed animals quickly grew at the edge of the school grounds.
As details emerged, it became clear that Van Rootselaar had a history of mental health struggles. Police had visited the family home multiple times over several years, sometimes taking her into custody for assessment under the Mental Health Act. Two years prior to the attack, firearms were seized from the home due to these concerns, but the lawful owner successfully petitioned to have them returned. McDonald confirmed that Van Rootselaar’s gun license had since lapsed, but it remains unclear whether the weapons used in the shooting were those previously confiscated.
Van Rootselaar was a former student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, having dropped out about four years earlier. She was not related to any of the victims at the school, and police have stated that there is currently no evidence anyone was specifically targeted. The motive for the attack remains unknown. As CTV News and AFP reported, the RCMP’s emergency public alert was canceled by 5:45 p.m., once authorities were confident there was no further threat to the public.
The tragedy has left a deep scar on Tumbler Ridge, a town nestled in the Canadian Rockies near the Alberta border. Shelley Quist, a local hospital worker, described hearing the anguished cries of a mother who lost her 12-year-old son in the attack. “She was in the street crying. She wanted her son’s body,” Quist told AP. Her own 17-year-old son, Darian, was locked down in a classroom for over two hours. “We used the desk to block the doors,” he recounted. “We knew it was real when the principal came down the halls and ordered doors to be closed.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the nation the next day, his voice heavy with emotion. “Parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love. The nation mourns with you, and Canada stands by you,” he said, according to AP. Carney ordered flags at government buildings flown at half-mast for seven days and canceled a planned trip to Europe for the Munich Security Conference. “We will get through this,” he added.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also traveled to Tumbler Ridge to offer his condolences and support. “I can tell you this is an incredibly strong community. Everybody is worried about somebody else,” he remarked outside the town hall, as reported by AP and BBC. The local school district announced that both the high school and elementary school would remain closed for the rest of the week, allowing families and staff time to grieve and process the traumatic events.
Canada is no stranger to mass shootings, though such tragedies are rare compared to its southern neighbor, the United States. The Tumbler Ridge attack is the deadliest in the country since the 2020 Nova Scotia rampage, which left 22 dead. Only the 1989 Montreal massacre, where 14 women were killed, and the Nova Scotia attacks have claimed more victims in Canadian history. In the wake of previous shootings, Canada has tightened gun-control laws, including a broadened ban on assault weapons. Still, the events in Tumbler Ridge have reignited debates about firearm access, mental health support, and the challenges faced by marginalized communities.
Jennifer Strang, Van Rootselaar’s mother, was known for her advocacy on behalf of transgender youth. In a July 2024 Instagram post, she shared a photo of a trans-inclusive pride flag, writing, “Good people don’t spend their time harassing marginalized communities. Do better and educate yourself before spewing bulls--t online. Do you have any idea how many kids are killing themselves over this kind of hate?” She ended the post with the hashtag #ProtectTransKids. Strang described herself as a “conservative-leaning libertarian,” but her message was clear: compassion and understanding are needed, not division.
As the investigation continues, questions linger about the warning signs, the role of mental health, and how a tragedy of this scale could happen in a place like Tumbler Ridge. For now, the focus remains on supporting the survivors, honoring the victims, and piecing together a path forward for a community forever changed.