WARNING: The following story may contain graphic content and descriptions, which some readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
The Tumbler Ridge RCMP says nine people have died in a mass-shooting incident in the northeastern B.C. municipality on Tuesday.
In an update on Wednesday, B.C. RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald confirmed one of the girls who was believed to have been killed was alive, making the total nine, including the shooter.
Multiple people were found deceased in and around Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, including the suspect.
McDonald said those who died at the school include a female teacher, three female students, and two male students. An adult woman and a male youth were found dead at the home.
Police first responded to the scene in the early afternoon.
“As of 1:20 p.m., the Tumbler Ridge RCMP are currently on scene of a confirmed active shooter incident at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School,” the RCMP said in a news release.
In an update around 6 p.m., the RCMP said officers entered the school as part of its initial response.
“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,” the statement describes.
“Six additional individuals, not including the suspect, have been located deceased inside the school. Two victims have been airlifted to hospital with serious or life‑threatening injuries. A third victim died while being transported to hospital.”
In a press conference, Supt. Ken Floyd, North District Commander of the BC RCMP, confirmed that two victims were airlifted outside Tumbler Ridge, but did not say their destination.
CityNews has since confirmed that one surviving victim, a 12-year-old girl named Maya, was taken to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
Police say the school was safely evacuated of all remaining students and staff — approximately 100 people.
“As the investigation progressed, officers identified as secondary location, believed to be connected to the incident. Two additional victims were located deceased inside a residence,” said Floyd.
Emergency crews began assessing and triaging approximately 25 people who sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
An emergency alert sent to the cellphones of local residents on Tuesday afternoon described a suspect as a “female in a dress with brown hair.”
Police say they believe they have identified the shooter; however, investigators are not prepared to release that information yet.
“We are not in a place now to be able to understand why and what may have motivated this tragedy,” said Floyd.
“This was a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation and the swift cooperation from the school, first responders and the community played a critical role in our response. Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones and all those impacted by this tragic incident,”
Floyd confirmed that the suspect was the person described in the emergency alert.
The alert asked people in the Tumbler Ridge area to stay inside, lock doors, and refrain from leaving home.
“All others need to avoid the area and follow police directions and restrictions,” the Tumbler Ridge RCMP said in a written statement.
At 5:45 p.m., police cancelled the alert, adding they did not believe there were any outstanding suspects or an ongoing threat to the public.
Officers began searching additional homes and properties to determine whether anyone else may be injured or otherwise linked to the day’s events.
The BC RCMP Major Crime Section has now taken over the investigation.
Additional police forces, emergency response teams, and victim services from neighbouring detachments are also on scene.
“This was a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation, and the swift cooperation from the school, first responders, and the community played a critical role in our response,” said Superintendent Ken Floyd, North District Commander.
“Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones, and all those impacted by this tragic incident. This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional day for our community, and we are grateful for the cooperation shown as officers continue their work to advance the investigation.”
National, provincial leaders respond
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is devastated by the horrific shooting.
He says that the Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, is coordinating the federal response.
“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens,” he said in a written statement.
He confirmed he is suspending his planned travel to Halifax and Munich, Germany, in response.
B.C. Premier David Eby appeared before the media with Minister of Public Safety Nina Krieger Tuesday night.
Eby confirmed the deaths of 10 people, eight of whom were found in the school, while another two victims were found dead in a nearby home.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to ask British Columbians, to ask all Canadians, to wrap the people of Tumbler Ridge — wrap these families with love. Not just tonight. But tomorrow and into the future, this is something that will reverberate for years to come,” said Eby.
“As British Columbians, I know that one of the things we do best is look after each other, and I’m asking British Columbians to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight.”
The provincial government’s role, he says, will be to make resources available to the community.
Krieger explained that those resources are on their way.
“Education Ministry staff have been in continued contact with the school district today and we are actively mobilizing trauma and crisis response supports. We are sending trauma-informed counselors to the region to support kids and their families during this time,” said Krieger.
“The school district will be making supports available and once we have locations for where these supports will be, the district will share that information on social media. And we will be making sure services are available to members of the broader community who need it as well. There is a psychiatric liaison nurse working in the community right now and another starting tonight at 10 p.m. who will be working through the night on the ground in Tumbler Ridge.”
Krieger described the incident as “one of the worst mass shootings in our province’s and country’s history.”
She says it was a devastating day for the members of Tumbler Ridge’s close-knit community of approximately 2,000 people.
“There are truly no words that can adequately describe the pain being carried tonight by parents, families and loved ones of the victims,” said Krieger.
The minister thanked the RCMP officers, first responders, and frontline health-care workers who acted quickly to “support this community in an unimaginably horrific moment.”
Earlier, Larry Neufeld, the MLA for Peace River South, said he would leave Victoria immediately to return to his riding to support the community.
“I have been in direct contact with the Solicitor General to receive updates and to ensure all necessary provincial resources are being made available to support local law enforcement and emergency responders,” Neufeld said.
“I will continue to stay closely engaged as this situation evolves.”
‘I’m really dreading tomorrow’: community members shocked by event
In a statement, the school’s Parent Advisory Council chair, Nicole Noksana, says the council is “heartbroken.”
“There are no words that can ease the fear and pain that events like this cause in a school community. We want families to know that the safety and well-being of students and staff are paramount, and we are grateful to the first responders and emergency personnel who acted quickly and professionally,” said Noksana.
She urged the community to rely on information shared by officials and respect the privacy of those affected.
Manda Maggs, the executive director of the Tumbler Ridge UNESCO Global Geopark, says her office is “just down the hill” from the high school.
Maggs says she saw many distraught parents making their way to the school in the early afternoon.
She described, “A lot of people standing around in shock, trying to figure out what was going on. It’s an incredibly small town. It’s very close-knit, and yeah, that kind of activity doesn’t happen here very often. It’s the kind of town that if you hear the ambulance start up — everyone perks up because you just want to know what’s going on and you worry about the people that you know because everyone here knows each other.”
She says the impact will be awful.
“I’m really dreading tomorrow…we all are going to be connected to this in some way or another, guaranteed. I have coworkers who have family that work at the school,” she told CityNews.
“There’s not a chance that these names are going to be names that are unknown to most of the people in town.”
Maggs says Tumbler Ridge, her home of six years, is the kind of place where people normally leave their bicycles unlocked.
“It was a real shock to live in a community that has such a strong sense of safety and wellbeing for everybody. There’s sort of a joke that you can’t get away with anything in Tumbler Ridge because it’s such a small community. We all know each other.”
She echoed Noksana’s advice to the community to share confirmed information only.
Local journalist Trent Ernst says the incident is “mind-blowing,” after his many years reporting on the small town.
“The only way I’m processing it is because I’m processing it through while I wear my news journalist hat. Yeah. If I wasn’t doing that, I would not be able to process it.”
He too declined to speculate on details of the incident and shared his concerns about the potential for rumours.
Local Reverend Gerald Krauss says he spent the day and night grieving with the victims and victims’ families in a community centre.
“They’re devastated. Their children are dead,” said Krauss.
He says the support has already begun pouring into the small, closely-connected town.
“It’s really a traumatic thing for the people of our community who aren’t involved directly. And so for the people who are, as you can imagine, it’s considerably worse.”
Krauss says he’s encouraged and not surprised by the community’s strength in coming together, but says this is only the beginning.
“Our town definitely needs a lot of support. And if you’re not here, and you’re far away, please remember to pray for us. We certainly will appreciate that. And we definitely need that. And it’s a long road starting now. “
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–With files from The Canadian Press, Srushti Gangdev, Maria Vinca, John Ackermann, Ridley Wilson, Michael Williams, Cecilia Hua, Jack Rabb, Kurt Black, Shravan Raghavan, Mike Lloyd, Erin Conners, Nima Rajan, Tom Walters, Jon Kennedy, Ovais Mangalwala, Chad Harris, Remy Vaillancourt