On Feb. 10, a shooting at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada has left eight individuals dead. Of the 25 injured, two remain hospitalized in critical condition reportedly “fighting for their lives” (CNN). The shooter, Jesse Van Roostelaar, was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While six of the deaths occurred on the scene, the remaining two involved the suspects mother and step-brother, both found dead in their home (BBC).
The 18-year-old shooter has a history of run-ins with the law. Authorities stated they had responded to multiple calls at their home, many relating to mental health. Van Roostelaar reportedly possessed a firearm legally with a gun license, which had since expired and not been renewed. She was also a student at Tumbler Ridge before dropping out in 2022. Many are blaming sexually-oriented factors on the shooter’s motive. Van Roostelaar was born a male but began transitioning to female around 2020.
This is the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history, following the Montreal “anti-feminist” shooting that killed 16 including the shooter in 1989. After the Montreal shooting, the Canadian government banned nearly 1,500 models of assault weapons. This is why shootings are extremely rare in Canada, having only six mass shooting deaths in the entire country during 2025 compared to a whopping 40,000 in the US (The Trace).
As the community mourns the lives lost, many are using this as fuel to become more active about gun safety in Canada. While Canada maintains strict gun ownership laws, many are pushing for even stricter legislation. In the meantime, people continue to stay close to each other in mourning. A local told Energetic City, “All I can think of is those innocent little souls. Everyone in the community has been deeply affected by this. There is not much smiling going around”.
