Post by : Bianca
Haleem
Tumbler Ridge, BC: Canadians are mourning a tragic mass shooting in the small town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, where eight people, including five students and a teacher, were killed by a teenage gunman.
Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the town Friday to support grieving residents, telling them, “When you wake up tomorrow and the world feels impossible, know that millions of Canadians are with you.” He was joined by opposition leaders, including Conservative chief Pierre Poilievre, at a candlelight vigil.
The shooter, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who had a history of mental health issues, first killed her mother and stepbrother at home before opening fire at her former school. Van Rootselaar later died by suicide. Police said the attack was random, and the gunman was “prepared and engaging anybody and everybody they could come in contact with.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police revealed that some firearms had previously been seized from Van Rootselaar’s home but returned after a legal appeal. The two main weapons used in the attack were not previously seized. The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights questioned the return of guns to a household with a person facing mental health challenges.
The victims at the school were identified as Abel Mwansa (12), Ezekiel Schofield (13), Kylie Smith (12), Zoey Benoit (12), Ticaria Lampert (12), and teacher Shannda Aviugana-Durand (39). Ticaria Lampert’s mother described her daughter as a “blazing light in the darkness… who just wanted to bring sunshine to everyone she touched.”
Tumbler Ridge, a town of around 2,400 residents in the Canadian Rockies, is now grappling with one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history. The deadliest shooting in the country took place in April 2020 in Nova Scotia, where 22 people were killed.
Authorities and local families have requested privacy as the town continues to mourn the tragic loss.
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