By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Canadian police warned on Tuesday against speculation while the investigation continues as 10 people died including the suspected shooter, were killed in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
Media reported that investigators cautioned that key details, including the ages of the victims, remain unclear.
Police said they were first called to reports of an active shooter at around 1:20 pm local time.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said 9 victims and one suspect died in the incident, which unfolded at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby residence. Police said the suspect was found dead inside the school from what they described as a “self-inflicted injury.”
RCMP said that 6 people were found dead inside the secondary school, one person died while being transported to hospital, and two others were found dead at a residence believed to be connected to the incident.
Media reports said that 2 people were airlifted to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, while 25 others were assessed for non-life-threatening injuries at the local health centre.
North District Chief Superintendent Ken Floyd was speaking at a virtual news conference, confirmed that the person found dead inside the school matches the suspect described in an earlier active-shooter alert sent to mobile phones across the area.
Police described the suspect as a woman in a dress with brown hair. In that alert,
Floyd said all remaining students and staff at the secondary school, which is around 100 people, were safely evacuated during the police response.
He added that School District 59 had placed both the secondary school and a nearby elementary school under a “hold and secure” lockdown as a precaution.
Floyd said in a statement “This was a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation, and the swift co-operation from the school, first responders, and the community played a critical role in our response”.
RCMP said they do not believe there are any other suspects and that there is no ongoing risk to the public, though officers are continuing searches of homes and properties in the community.
Floyd declined to say how many of the dead were children or adults, calling it “unwise to speculate” at this stage. He also would not confirm whether the shooter was a minor or an adult, citing privacy concerns.
“We’re following all leads to try to determine the connection to the shooter,” he said.
“I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why’, but we will try our best to determine what transpired.”
RCMP officers, including members of the Major Crime Unit, have been sent to Tumbler Ridge to support the investigation. Police said they are working with the local school district to ensure students are reunited with parents and guardians.
Tumbler Ridge, a remote community of about 2,400 residents located roughly 660kms northeast of Vancouver, has a secondary school with around 160 students, according to local reports.
Larry Neufeld, the area’s MLA, urged residents to reach out if they are struggling in the aftermath of the shooting and asked for patience as investigators work to confirm details.
“My thoughts are with the students, families, educators, and the entire Tumbler Ridge community. This is a small, close-knit town, and the impact of an event like this is felt by everyone,” he mentioned in a social media post.
Local faith leaders also stepped in to offer emotional support. George Rowe, a pastor who has lived in Tumbler Ridge for 35 years and previously worked as a substitute teacher at the school, said the tragedy has shaken the entire community.
“It’s a very closely knit community. We all share this tragedy as if it was my family, or my neighbour’s family,” Rowe said, adding that counseling and guidance will be available in the coming days.
Former RCMP major crimes investigator Bruce Pitt-Payne said police are likely to apply lessons learned from the 2020 Portapique mass shooting in Nova Scotia, which killed 22 people.
“There’s a lot that has changed for the better since Portapique and we’re seeing it every time one of these happens,” Pitt-Payne said on CBC’s Hanomansing Tonight. “The police are going to have their work cut out for them right now.”
Police said they will continue investigating “the full circumstances surrounded this incident”, as the community begins to grapple with the scale of the loss.
