As the British Columbia community of Tumbler Ridge reels from a devastating mass shooting, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Wednesday revealed new details about the shooter.
Eight people were killed in the shooting with roughly 25 others injured. The shooter was also found deceased from what is believed to be a self-inflicted wound.
RCMP had originally said nine people, as well as the shooter, were dead, but adjusted that count on Wednesday afternoon.
There are few details available so far about the victims of this tragedy.
Here is what RCMP said on Wednesday about the shooter.
The RCMP identified the shooter as 18-year-old female Jesse Van Rootselaar, who was a resident of Tumbler Ridge.
“We do believe the suspect acted alone. And there are currently no other outstanding suspects,” B.C. RCMP Dept. Comm. Dwayne McDonald told reporters Wednesday.
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The shooter attended the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School but dropped out four years ago, he added.
Rootselaar had a history of mental health issues, McDonald said, adding that police had been called to the individual’s family home because of mental health concerns before.
“Police had attended that residence on multiple occasions over the past several years. Dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect. I can say that on different occasions a suspect was apprehended for assessment and and follow-up,” McDonald said.
Some of those cases involved the individual being apprehended under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital, he said, adding: “I don’t have that information at this time if the suspect was currently receiving care.”
“Police have attended that residence in the past approximately a couple years ago where firearms were seized under the Criminal Code,” he said.
He said police had previously found firearms secured in a safe at her residence investigators are “yet to determine if they’ve gone in and located more firearms.”
No criminal charges were laid in relation to the firearms and the lawful owner of the firearms petitioned for them to be returned.
McDonald said that Rootselaar identified as female and began transitioning around six years ago.
“We identified the suspect as they chose to be identified in public and in social media,” he said.
“I can say that Jesse was born as a biological male who approximately — the information that I have — approximately six years ago began to transition to female and identified as female both socially and publicly.“
Rootselaar had a gun licence that expired in 2024, he added.
“She did not have any firearms registered to her,” McDonald said.
He added that he believed the last contact police had with the shooter was “some time last year.”
There is no indication of the shooter experiencing bullying at the school at this time, McDonald added when asked by reporters.
Officers found “active gunfire” at the site when they arrived, with bullets being fired in their direction as well, McDonald added.
Within “minutes” of arriving, police located the suspected shooter, who had died of a self-inflected gunshot wound, he said.
Police recovered two firearms — a long gun and a modified handgun — at the site.
McDonald was asked whether police have found any notes or communications made in advance of the shooting by the individual.
“Not that we’ve located so far, but we are continuing to pursue that,” he said.
“We don’t have an idea yet as to motive.”
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