Mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., leaves 8 dead, including 6 children, and a nation in mourning

RCMP key out all 8 victims of shot in Tumbler ridgeline, B.C.

'You know every face,' says schoolmate of Tumbler Ridge victims | Hanomansing Tonight

Mom of B.C. Shooting victim Ticaria Lambert gives emotional statement

Tumbler Ridge receives outpouring of support in wake of mass shooting | Hanomansing Tonight

B.C. Throne speech dedicated to victims, community of Tumbler Ridge

B.C. Legislative Assembly holds moment of silence for victims

Hundreds attend candlelight vigil as Tumbler Ridge mourns

Health-care staff praised for 'outstanding' response to shooting

Tumbler Ridge shooting timeline: How the tragedy unfolded

How trauma counsellors are used after a tragedy like Tumbler Ridge shooting

‘Dad, there's shooting’: B.C. Father describes agonizing phone call

B.C. Premier lauds 'incredibly strong community' of Tumbler Ridge after mass shooting

'The nation mourns with you,' Carney says after B.C. Mass shooting

'It’s always been a tight-knit community,' says Tumbler Ridge resident | Hanomansing Tonight

House of Commons observes moment of silence for Tumbler Ridge, B.C., after mass shooting

How to talk to kids about the B.C. Mass shooting

Tumbler Ridge student, mother describe school lockdown during mass shooting

Two days after eight victims were killed in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., the community is largely quiet. Flowers, candles, teddy bears and framed photos have been carefully placed at the base of a tree just outside the local community centre, on a hill overlooking the school where five students and an educator were killed. At night, locals in the town place candles from vigils out on their doorsteps. 

The attack that left nine dead, including the shooter and two members of her family, has shattered families and a town where many knew the victims like family. It was one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history, second only to a massacre in Montreal more than 36 years ago.

The mother of 12-year-old shooting victim Kylie Smith said her daughter wanted to be an artist since she was a toddler — when she would use both hands to draw whatever was playing on TV.

Desirae Pisarski said when she last spoke to her daughter, on Christmas Day, Kylie showed her her art and said she loved her, and that they would speak again.

Kylie lived with her dad, stepmother and brother. A family statement shared by RCMP earlier today said she wanted to go to art school in Toronto when she grew up.

Pisarski said Kylie was also a talented figure skater, and gave her first performance when she was just over three years old.

"She could skate circles around me. ... That girl could just get on skates and go. She was so good," said Shanon Dycke, Kylie's aunt.

Pisarski said she always thought she'd be able to see her child finish high school, watch her have her own kids and a whole future for herself.

"I feel like my whole world was shattered. I don't know how to pick up the pieces and put them back together.... I'm lost, right?" she said.

Mom of B.C. Shooting victim Ticaria Lambert gives emotional statement

The mother of Ticaria Lampert spoke with media for the first time since a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., claimed the lives of her daughter and seven other victims. Sarah Lampert said she called 12-year-old Ticaria her 'tiki torch' and she has 'always been a blazing light in the darkness.'

The mother of 12-year-old Ticaria Lampert, one of the five students killed at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, shared an emotional statement with reporters this evening.

Sarah Lampert described Ticaria as a storm of energy who was "loud and proud" and was always trying to make people laugh.

Ticaria was the glue that bridged the age gaps between the older and younger siblings in her large family, her mother said. 

"She was a dork of all dorks. She had a Santa sack of every bad dad joke you could think of.… She felt accomplished when everybody's tummy hurt," Sarah Lampert said, adding that Ticaria was her "tiki torch, powered by love and happiness." 

She said it was impossible for her to accept her daughter was gone.

"Our family is shattered and it is going to take immense amounts of time to get through this," she said.

In his statement, Justin Van Rootselaar refers to the shooter as Jesse Strang and uses he/him pronouns to refer to his child.

RCMP have said that Jesse Van Rootselaar was assigned male at birth and began transitioning to female around six years ago.

The statement reads, in full:

"There are moments when words feel far too small for the sorrow we are carrying together. What has happened has left an ache in the heart of our town that will not soon fade. In a place where we know each other by name, where we pass one another in the grocery store and gather at the same community events, this loss feels deeply personal to us all.

"To the families who have lost loved ones, and to every person who has been affected by this senseless and unforgivable act of violence, I offer my most heartfelt condolences. I cannot begin to imagine the depth of your grief.

"Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, and that I share in the profound sadness that has settled over our community.

"As the biological father of the individual responsible, I carry a sorrow that is difficult to put into words.

"I was estranged from Jesse Strang and was not part of his life. His mother declined my involvement from the beginning, and I was not given the opportunity to be a part of raising him. Jesse did not use the [Van Rootselaar] family name at any point in his life.

"While that distance is the reality of our relationship, it does not lessen the heartbreak I feel for the pain that has been caused to innocent people and to the town we call home.

"This is a time for compassion, for holding one another close, and for supporting the families who are grieving such unimaginable loss.

"As we respect your grief, we respectfully ask that you also respect ours. There will be no further statements."

RCMP have shared the names of the first four officers who responded to the mass shooting on Tuesday: Sgt. Bill Hughes, Const. Jonathan Kohut, Const. Tyler Noon and Const. Nick Gachter. Combined, they have 45 years of policing experience.

In a statement, RCMP Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said the officers "acted with immeasurable bravery in the face of extreme violence while surrounded by unfathomable trauma."

The officers were debriefed and released from duty to decompress and recover, and more resources were deployed to ensure the local detachment was properly staffed, Clark said.

"A long list of personnel from across the province have volunteered to come and support the community of Tumbler Ridge while the officers posted there take the necessary time to heal," he said.

'A lot of sensitivity' in Tumbler Ridge investigation: RCMP deputy commissioner

As the RCMP releases the identities of the eight victims killed in the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass shooting, many questions remain surrounding the tragedy. RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald joins Power & Politics for an update on the ongoing investigation.

Some of the biggest question marks hanging over this tragedy concern the two firearms police recovered from the school — and how the shooter, whose licence had expired, got hold of those weapons. 

There have also been questions about the fact that the lawful owner of firearms seized from the shooter's family home successfully petitioned for their return, despite the shooter having a documented history of mental health concerns. 

Asked if he's comfortable with Canada's "red flag" laws as written, McDonald said mental health and firearms are always going to be a concern for law enforcement. 

Premier Eby spoke to the media after the lieutenant-governor's speech this afternoon. 

"I know that all of us are grieving," he said, standing at the front steps of the Legislature Building with a gathering of MLAs from all parties behind him.

"Everybody, from all parties, understood why we could not go ahead with the throne speech today, why we couldn't go on with business as normal, because this is not a normal day for British Columbia or for Canada."

Having just come back from Tumbler Ridge earlier today, Eby said the routines of the legislature felt empty. He said his mind returned to what he’d seen and heard in Tumbler Ridge: toys and a hockey card among the flowers at a memorial site, the emotion of first responders, and a man in so much grief he could not speak.

"These kids were 11 to 13 years old," Eby said. "Just babies."

Ts'il Kaz Koh Nation in Burns Lake, Doig River First Nation in Rose Prairie, West Moberly First Nation near Chetwynd, and Kelly Lake Cree Nation have all offered condolences and support to Tumbler Ridge in the wake of Tuesday’s mass shooting.

Shelley Calliou, a cultural advisor with Kelly Lake Cree Nation, which is around 80 kilometres east of Tumbler Ridge, called the events “unspeakable.”

She said her 14-year-old nephew was at the school during the shooting and hid in a closet, texting her son – his cousin – throughout the ordeal.

"All you could do is just tell him to be calm and to pray and ... We’ll be thinking about him," she said.

Calliou said Kelly Lake Cree Nation will offer cultural support and ceremony to members in her community, and to the residents of Tumbler Ridge, in the coming days and months.

McKay's mom, Tiffany Hildebrandt, and her business partner Wendy Trueit own the Twisted Seasons Bistro in town. 

They are grieving with their community but decided to reopen in order to help feed first responders. They told me this place is their home, and they want to do whatever they can to help their community get through this tragedy.

I spoke with Duncan McKay, 17, who was in the gym when the shooter came in on Tuesday. He told me he heard gunshots after the school went into lockdown and his teacher, Keith Bertrand, went upstairs to see what was going on. Duncan says he later learned the shooter fired at Bertrand, but the teacher wasn't injured. 

When Bertrand returned to the gym, McKay said, he told the students the lockdown was not a drill and that there was an active shooter in the school. 

The teacher locked McKay and the other students in an equipment room, and tried to keep them distracted for hours until police came to let them out. 

McKay said his teacher is one of the heroes of that day. He said it helps to speak about his experience and his parents were present during the interview.

---

---