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FULL | B.C. RCMP provide update on victims, identify suspect in Tumbler Ridge mass shooting

RCMP officials provided an update and took reporters' questions in Surrey, B.C., on Wednesday, the day after a mass shooting left nine dead, including the suspect, in the northeastern B.C. Community of Tumbler Ridge.

The commanding officer for the RCMP in B.C. Provided a substantial update this afternoon on the victims killed in Tumbler Ridge and the suspect in the mass shooting yesterday. Here's what Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said:

Those affected by today's news can find mental health support through the province's Help Starts Here website or by calling B.C.'s Mental Health Support line: 310-6789. You can also reach Kids Help Phone by calling 1-800-668-6868, texting “CONNECT” to 686868 or requesting counselling over a live chat online.

Tumbler Ridge community mourns loss after mass shooting | Hanomansing Tonight

Linda Muise knew one of the victims who attended Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. She shares the impact of the loss on her family and the community.

"Always a smile on his face, pleasant boy. He was a friend with my grandson and my grandson would come here every summer for a holiday and they would hang together," she told our colleague Ian Hanomansing.

Muise said she met with the dead boy's family this morning.

"All I could say was, just ask God to give them peace," she said.

"And in their faith, I know they have that peace, but it's still so difficult. Because you ask questions like, 'Why?' But you've just got to trust."

Blair said the impact of a traumatic event can have serious effects that extend long past the initial incident.

She said her community has seen three suicides in the past six years, including one the day before the anniversary of the Portapique shootings in 2024.

"When you hear more things like this happening, I mean, with our youth, our succession, our future …  it makes it harder to bear. And it breaks your heart to know what the people of Tumbler Ridge are going through right now.'

Mayor for Portapique tells Tumbler Ridge 'we understand' mass shooting devastation

Colchester County Mayor Christine Blair relates what her community experienced after the 2020 mass shooting that killed 22 people in Nova Scotia to Tuesday's mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., advising that 'it will be surreal.' Blair says her community has experienced multiple suicides, and that instead of just an initial surge of support, trauma therapists should be made available in B.C. 'on a regular basis for years to come.'

Mayor Christine Blair of Colchester County, which includes the community of Portapique, N.S., said the tragedy will feel surreal in Tumbler Ridge "for a while." Thirteen of the 22 people killed in the mass shooting on April 18, 2020, were from Portapique.

"Eventually, the reality will be faced, as difficult as that is," Blair said. 

"You need to have [support] that is consistent. In my opinion, you need to have trauma therapists that are available in the community on a regular basis for years to come."

In Tumbler Ridge this evening, the community is very still. Flags at half-mast are flapping gently in the wind outside the town hall and the pile of flowers, teddy bears and cards outside the high school is growing.

Campbell said he’s going to give space to the kids in the community and his daughter, and let them talk to him as they need.

"I have nothing really to say but I'm sorry. And how can I help you? And what do you need? What can I do for you right now, my girl? What can I help you with to soothe your pain? A little thing, is it a bowl of soup or just a peck on the cheek? … Until she comes to me, I can't really push her."

Campbell said the community needs to stand together for the children.

"Every child matters in this town," he said.

Campbell, the president of minor hockey in Tumbler Ridge, was emotional as he described how he thought of all the students he'd watched grow up from pre-school.

"I had U-13 to U-18 [team members] sitting in that school at this time, and my mind was going crazy," he said. "Let alone, I have two more children of my own in that school. So, I was crying outside the school. I'll tell you that right now, I was in tears.

"I [don't] give two shits about what the shooter is all about.… I don't care. We're here for the victims … these kids that lost their lives for absolutely no reason whatsoever."

His daughter called and said there was a shooter in the school

Darren Campbell on his daughter's phone call

Dennis Campbell's daughter was in Tumbler Ridge Secondary School during the shooting. He says she is now trying to cope after losing four of her friends.

His daughter had been coming out of the washroom when the gunfire started, Campbell said, and she ran to the gym. She hid with another class in the gym’s equipment room, where Campbell said a teacher kept the students calm.

He said he could hardly believe it when his daughter called him from school and said: "Dad, there's a shooting. There's a shooting here."

RCMP have clarified the timeline of the shooting and which time zone they used when they noted the time for certain events. Initially, RCMP used Pacific Time (PT) in their statements about the incident.

Tumbler Ridge, however, like the rest of northeast B.C., is on Mountain Standard Time, which is currently an hour ahead of PT. So, when police said yesterday the active shooter alert went out at 1:20 p.m. And ended at 5:45 p.m., it was actually 2:20 p.m. And 6:45 p.m. In Tumbler Ridge.

Police updated their use of time zones this afternoon.

A variety of services dedicated to supporting mental health are on their way to Tumbler Ridge, according to the ministry.

The statement said B.C. Children’s Hospital is sending a team to the community to provide youth mental health support, and Northern Health has sent additional mental health clinicians.

The Provincial Health Services Authority’s disaster psychosocial support team has also been activated. The team provides short-term psychological first aid in response to large-scale emergencies such as evacuations due to wildfires and flooding.

For anyone in the community seeking support, drop-in appointments are available at the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre. The school district, province and health authorities are also co-ordinating in-person mental health services, the statement said.

First responders will be supported by critical-incident stress debriefing teams.

In a new statement, B.C.'s Ministry of Health says one patient has been transferred from the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. 

The patient is in critical condition and is receiving specialized care.

Another patient, assessed as being in serious to fair condition, was transferred to a higher level of care in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.

The Tumbler Ridge Health Centre remained open through the night, according to the province, to provide mental health support to the community.

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