The Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) released details on Wednesday (11) of the attack that left at least nine dead, including the shooter, and 27 injured in the city of Tumbler Ridge, in the province of British Columbia, on Tuesday (10).
According to information from public broadcaster CBC, the suspect was identified as Jesse VanRootselaar, 18 years old, resident of the city and who allegedly killed himself after the attack.
The victims murdered at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School were a 39-year-old teacher and five students, aged between 12 and 13. Additionally, the suspect’s mother, aged 39, and her brother, aged 11, were found dead in the family home.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, commander of the RCMP in British Columbia, said at a news conference that VanRootselaar was a biological man but identified as female and had begun gender transition six years ago.
The police officer said the attacker did not attend Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, as she had dropped out of school four years ago. The motivations for the massacre have not yet been clarified, as a note was not found, but police believe VanRootselaar may have written one.
Two firearms were seized by police officers who responded to the incident.
Also according to CBC, McDonald said that police responded to calls from Van Rootselaar’s home related to mental health in recent years, and that some of those calls concerned firearms situations. The police officer stated that the first information indicates that the shooter acted alone.
