B.C. observes day of mourning after Tumbler Ridge shooting deaths of students, educator, suspect's family

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Today’s been declared a day of mourning in British Columbia in honour of the victims of the  Tumbler Ridge mass shooting. The province cancelled the speech from the throne, and instead, the Legislative Assembly will observe a moment of silence at noon, followed by a speech from Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia at 2 p.m. PT, dedicated to the community.

As the stunned community of Tumbler Ridge struggles to absorb the magnitude of its loss, questions to public officials today returned again and again to the theme that always haunts tragedies like this: how could something like this happen?

Leaders, from the prime minister and top policing brass down to the mayor, promised answers to those questions in due course, but said the community's immediate focus would be on families who lost sons, daughters and friends.

Here's what we know about the victims.

Those found inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School:

Those found in the home on Fellers Avenue:

Surviving victims:

She didn't want to be identified out of fear for her personal safety, but she told me she went into the family home after hearing a call for help and was devastated by what she saw. 

She said it's shattered her sense of safety in a community where people usually leave their doors unlocked.

According to B.C. Supreme Court documents from 2015, Strang travelled the country with her children, and she was ordered not to remove them from the province after an application from her former partner.

"These children have led an almost nomadic life, from what I have been told, with multiple moves over the last five years between Newfoundland … and Powell River," Justice Anthony Saunders wrote in a ruling ordering Strang to give her children telephone access to their father.

"It can hardly be the case that the children are tied in any meaningful sense to that one location."

At the point of the family court dispute, Strang wanted to relocate her children to Newfoundland so they could enter the school system in that province. She was pregnant at the time and claimed "she made the move to Newfoundland so that she could receive support from her family."

Social media accounts connected to the suspect were the subject of worldwide scrutiny today — as were the social media accounts belonging to Strang, the suspect's mother, and her extended family, whose members span across the country from Newfoundland to B.C.'s Sunshine Coast.

Facebook accounts show a family who celebrated Jesse's achievements and birthdays. A post from Strang's Facebook account in 2021 also suggests Jesse Van Rootselaar had developed an interest in weapons.

"[Jesse] posts about hunting, self-reliance, guns and stuff [she] likes to do," reads the post, which links to a now-deleted YouTube channel.

During the news conference, Eby mentioned one of the dozens of wounded people in the shooting — a young girl named Maya — and how a speaker asked for a moment of silence for her at the community vigil.

"We were asked as a group to take a moment of silence to pray, however people pray or reflect, for [Maya's] family right now," Eby said.

"And that moment for me is representative of the profound tragedy — of a beautiful child who went to school, had joy and love, who is fighting for her life in a hospital right now — and the other children who have died."

Eby concluded the news conference by reiterating a list of mental health resources available to those who need it — both within Tumbler Ridge and in the region.

Officials were emotional as they talked about the deep grief reverberating through Tumbler Ridge tonight, with the district's mayor particularly emotional as he thanked officials for being present.

Even as the focus remained on the victims of the mass shooting, questions around mental health care in Tumbler Ridge came up prominently — something that is sure to be a major theme as the investigation continues in the days to come.

Krakowka said that multiple health-care staff had been deployed to Tumbler Ridge in the wake of the tragedy.

He acknowledged that the local Tumbler Ridge Health Centre was set to lose full-time equivalent staff as early as March, and he was looking forward to having conversations with the Northern Health Authority and the province about attracting more staff to the centre.

Eby acknowledged there are many questions tonight about the suspect's mental health and said those answers will come in due course.

Earlier, RCMP said they had a history of police attendance at the family residence and that some of the calls had been related to mental health issues.

The premier said the province would address any questions that police were unable to answer through their investigation.

"We will make sure that all those questions are answered," he said.

Krakowka teared up as he thanked officials for their assistance, and asked his community to offer a hug to those who are grieving.

"Lend your ear when somebody needs your ear. Lend your shoulder when somebody needs your shoulder," he said.

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