NPR
Shootings at school and home in British Columbia, Canada, leave 10 dead
+677 words added -388 words removed
By
The Associated Press
Tumbler in hide caption
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — a school in found dead a Canadian said the
The Police said were airlifted to the Tumbler Ridge
in
The town of in the Canadian Rockies is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) of Vancouver, near the border with Alberta. The to
that officers the school two
with as a people said. to and were the was to the attack.
the to
the Tumbler Ridge school hide caption
the
he it was "devastating" to learn how many had died in the which he called a "big family."
"I have lived here for 18 probably know every one of the victims."
The Rev. George Rowe of the Tumbler Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church went to the recreation center where victims' families were awaiting more information.
"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 the investigating team is very careful in releasing names," Rowe
Rowe once taught at the high and his three children graduated from there.
"To walk through the corridors of that school will never be the same again," he said.
said the for the of the
Carney's office said he a planned trip to Halifax, Nova and Munich, Germany. He set to announce a long-awaited defense industrial strategy in Halifax before heading to Europe for the Munich Security Conference.
he had spoken to the "unimaginable tragedy."
"I know it's causing us all to hug our kids a little bit tighter tonight," he said. "I'm asking the people of British Columbia to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight."
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− This grab from video shows students exiting the
− Ridge
+ RIdge
− school
+ Secondary
− after
+ School
− deadly
+ is
− shootings,
+ shown
− British
+ Tumbler
− Columbia,
+ Ridge,
− Canada,
+ B.C.,
− Tuesday
+ on
− Feb.
+ Wednesday.
− 10,
+ Jesse
− 2026.
+ Boily/The
− Jordon
+ Canadian
− Kosik/AP
+ Press/AP
− A
+ Police
− shooting
+ on
− at
+ Wednesday identified the suspect in
+ shooting
− British
+ Canada
− Columbia
+ as
− left
+ an
− seven
+ 18-year-old
− people
+ who
− dead,
+ had
− while
+ prior
− two
+ mental
− more
+ health
− were
+ calls to her home and who was
− at
+ following the attack that killed eight people in
− nearby
+ remote
− home,
+ part of British Columbia.
Royal
− authorities
+ Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald
− Tuesday.
+ Jesse
− A
+ Van
− woman
+ Rootselaar
− who
+ had
− police
+ a
− believe
+ history
− to
+ of
− be
+ mental health contact with police, and that
− shooter
+ suspect's
− also
+ mother
− was
+ and
− killed.
+ stepbrother were found dead in a home near the school.
− Royal
− Canadian
+ motive
− Mounted
+ remained
+ unclear.
+ initially
− more
+ nine
− than
+ people
− 25
+ were
− people
+ killed
− are
+ Tuesday
− injured,
+ in
− including
+ the
− two
+ attack,
− who
+ but McDonald clarified Wednesday that there
+ eight fatalities, plus the suspect, who authorities said shot herself. McDonald said the discrepancy arose from a victim who was
− hospital
+ a
− with
+ medical
− life-threatening
+ center.
− injuries,
+ Authorities
− after
+ mistakenly thought that person had died.
A map showing
− shooting
+ location
− at
+ of the
− Secondary
+ school
− School.
+ shooting. Will Jarrett/AP hide caption
− School
+ More
− shootings
+ than
− are
+ 25
− rare
+ people were wounded Tuesday
− Canada.
+ the attack in the small mountain community of Tumbler Ridge, police said.
− Tumbler
+ 2,700
− Ridge
+ people
− north
+ northeast
+ provincial
+
Police said the victims included a 39-year-old teacher and five students, ages 12 to 13.
McDonald said the suspect's mother, who was also 39, and an 11-year-old stepbrother, were found at the suspect's
+ home.
− provincial
+ killings
− government
+ at
− website
+ the
− lists
+ home
− Tumbler
+ occurred
− Ridge
+ first,
− Secondary
+ he
− School
+ said.
− as
+ A
− having
+ young
− 175
+ family
− students
+ member
− from
+ at
− Grades
+ the
− 7
+ home went
− 12.
+ a neighbor, who called police.
− British
+ At
− Columbia
+ the
− Premier
+ school,
− David
+ one
− Eby
+ victim
− told
+ was
− reporters
+ found in a stairwell and the rest, McDonald believed, were found in the library. The suspect was not related to any of the victims at the school, he said.
"There is no information at this point
− police
+ anyone was specifically targeted," McDonald said.
Police recovered a long gun and a modified handgun. McDonald said
− reached
+ arrived at
− within
− minutes.
+ minutes after the initial call. When they arrived, shots were fired in their direction.
− A
+ "Parents,
− video
+ grandparents,
− showed
+ sisters,
− students
+ brothers
− walking
+ in
− out
+ Tumbler
− of
+ Ridge
− the
+ will
− school
+ wake up without someone they love. The nation mourns
− their
+ you,
− hands
+ and
− raised
+ Canada stands by you," an emotional Prime Minister Mark Carney said
− police
+ he
− vehicles
+ arrived
− surrounded
+ in
− the
+ Parliament.
The
− building
+ attack
− and
+ was Canada's deadliest rampage since 2020, when
− helicopter
+ gunman
− circled
+ in
− overhead.
Police
+ Nova
− found
+ Scotia
− six
+ killed 13
− dead,
+ and
− a
+ set
− statement
+ fires that left another nine dead.
Carney said flags at government buildings will be flown at half-staff for seven days and added: "We will get through this."
Shelley Quist said her neighbor across the street lost her 12-year-old. "We heard his mom. She was in the street crying. She wanted her son's body," Quist
+
Quist
− A
+ said
− suspect
+ her
− appeared
+ 17-year-old
− to
+ son,
− have
+ Darian,
− died
+ was
− of
+ on
− a
+ lockdown
− "self-inflicted
+ in
− injury."
+ the
− An
+ school
− eighth
+ for
− person
+ more
− died
+ than
− while
+ two
− being
+ hours.
− transported
+ The provincial government website lists Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as having 175 students in grades 7
− a
+ 12.
"The
− hospital,
+ grade sevens
− two
+ eights,
− more
+ I think,
− found
+ upstairs
− dead
+ in
− at
+ the
− a
+ library,
− home
+ and that's where
− authorities
+ shooter
− believe
+ went," she said. Her son
− connected
+ in the library just 15 minutes prior
− RCMP Superintendent
+ Quist
− Ken
+ was
− Floyd
+ working
− told
+ at
− reporters
+ the
− that
+ hospital
− investigators
+ down
− had
+ the
− identified
+ street
− a
+ when
− female
+ the
− suspect
+ shooting
− but
+ started.
"I
− would
+ was
− not
+ about
− release
+ to
− a
+ go
− name,
+ run
− and
+ down
− that
+ to
− shooter's
+ school,
− motive
+ but
− remained
+ my
− unclear.
+ coworker
− He
+ held
− added
+ me
− that
+ back.
− police
+ And
− are
+ then
− still
+ I
− investigating
+ was
− how
+ able
− the
+ to
− victims
+ get
− are
+ Darian
− connected
+ on the phone
− the
+ know
− shooter.
+ he was OK," she said.
− A
+ This
− map
+ grab
− showing
+ from
− the
+ video
− location
+ shows
− of
+ students exiting
− shooting.
+ after
− Will
+ deadly
− Jarrett/AP
+ shootings, in British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday. Jordon Kosik/AP
− Tumbler
+ Darian
− Ridge
+ Quist
− Mayor
+ said
− Darryl
+ he
− Krakowka
+ knew
− said
+ the attack was real when
− whole
+ principal
− community
+ came
− is
+ down
− grieving.
+ the halls and ordered doors to be closed. He said fellow students texted him pictures of blood while he remained locked down in a classroom.
− "I
+ "We
− broke
+ used
− down,"
+ the desk to block the doors,"
− said,
+ said.
School
− saying
+ shootings are rare in Canada, which has strict gun-control laws. The government has responded to previous mass shootings with gun-control measures, including a recently broadened ban on all guns it considers assault weapons.
A video showed students walking out with their hands raised as police vehicles surrounded the building and a helicopter circled overhead.
Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka said
− community of
− 2,700,
+ community,
+ "I broke down," Krakowka said.
− years," Krakowka
− said
+ years.
− "I
+ I
− the
− procedure
+ procedure,
− said. "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
+ said
− alone."
+ Tuesday.
− school
+ school,
− Canadian Prime Minister
+ The
− Mark
+ school
− Carney
+ district
− in a social media post that he was devastated by
− shooting in Tumbler Ridge.
"I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives
− have
+ high
− been
+ school
− changed
+ and
− irreversibly
+ elementary
− today,
+ school
− and
+ will
− in
+ be
− gratitude
+ closed
− courage and
− selflessness
+ rest
− first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens," he
− wrote.
+ week.
− is
+ called
− suspending
+ off
− Scotia
+ Scotia,
− was
+ had been
+ Wednesday
− on Wednesday
− Eby,
+ British
− the
+ Columbia
− province's
+ Premier
− premier,
+ David
− told
+ Eby
− reporters
+ on Tuesday said
− Carney
− after
+ the
− what
+ prime
− he
+ minister
− called
+ about
−
Canada's government has responded to previous mass shootings with gun control measures, including a recently broadened ban on all guns it considers assault weapons.
Tuesday's shootings were Canada's deadliest rampage since 2020, when a gunman in Nova Scotia killed 13 people and set fires that left another nine dead.