RCMP identify suspect in update on Tumbler Ridge mass shooting that left 9 dead, 27 injured

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McDonald said police had responded to Van Rootselaar's home for mental health-related calls over the last several years. He said some of the calls dealt with weapons.

He said firearms were seized from the home and the lawful owner of the firearms petitioned to have them returned, and they were.

Among the dead are an adult female educator, three female students and two male students, RCMP said. Another adult female and male youth were found dead at a residence. 

McDonald said it is believed the people in the residence are the mother and the step-brother of the suspect.

A total of nine people died, not 10, according to McDonald. Police initially believed a female victim with significant injuries had died yesterday, but later confirmed she is still alive. She was airlifted to hospital in serious condition, McDonald said.

McDonald says two firearms, a long gun and a modified handgun were recovered by responding officers. The role they played will be a significant part of the investigation, he says.

McDonald identifies the suspect as Jesse VanRootselaar, 18, of Tumbler Ridge.

Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, the commanding officer for the RCMP in B.C., begins with a review of yesterday's events.

I'm at the B.C. RCMP headquarters in Surrey, where we're minutes away from a police update on the shooting in Tumbler Ridge. 

There are more than a dozen reporters and cameras here, and more on the phone. 

Officers gave few specifics in their last briefing yesterday, so we're hoping for details about the suspect and their relationship to the victims, as well as an update on the injured.

District Mayor Darryl Krakowka was meeting with fellow council members at the store, discussing the possibility of arranging flowers for the victims. 

Flags were at half-mast in the community as residents began to go about their day. A pair of teenagers were hugging each other and crying beside one of the checkout tills at the store.

Carney said Canada will never be able to fully reconcile itself with the senseless violence in Tumbler Ridge yesterday.

"To those families who have lost loved ones; this House mourns with you. To those who are recovering from injuries; this House prays for you. To the students, the teachers, the parents, every parent of Tumbler Ridge; all of Canada stands with you," he said.

"May the memory of those lost be a blessing. May this community, which has shown its resilience so many times before, once again find the strength to heal, and may this House prove worthy of what Tumbler Ridge has always been — by striving to make Canada a better, kinder and safer place."

The prime minister went on to say that Canada has previously experienced tragedy, referencing the L'École Polytechnique massacre, the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020, the Quebec City mosque shooting in 2017, the Humboldt bus crash that killed 16 people in 2018 and the La Loche, Sask., shooting in 2016.

"Each time it breaks us open, each time it shows us who we are," Carney said. 

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