Six students and a teacher were killed after a teen shot their family, then the school

A remote Canadian town has been left shattered after a mass shooting claimed eight lives in what police are calling one of the deadliest gun attacks in the country’s history.

Authorities confirmed that six people were killed at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon. Two others – the suspect’s mother, 39, and his 11-year-old step-brother – were found dead at a nearby home.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they received reports of an active shooter at the school at 13:30 local time (20:30 GMT). Officers were deployed immediately, and an emergency alert was issued instructing residents to shelter in place, lock their doors and remain inside.

British Columbia’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Nina Krieger, said police officers arrived at the school within two minutes of the initial call. She described it as a “devastating day” and said the rapid response “no doubt” saved lives.

Investigators later confirmed that the violence began at a home before the suspect went to the school. Police were called to the house at approximately 13:47 local time. Officials have not yet determined a motive.

The small community of Tumbler Ridge has about 2,400 residents. Its secondary school serves 160 students from Grades 7 to 12.

At the school, a 39-year-old female educator was killed along with five students: three 12-year-old girls, a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy. At least 25 other people were injured. Police said most of those injured did not suffer gunshot wounds.

The suspect was identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a former student who had dropped out four years ago. He was found dead inside the school from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

RCMP deputy commissioner Dwayne McDonald said Van Rootselaar had previously held a valid gun licence, although it had since lapsed. He added that police had attended the suspect’s family home on multiple occasions over the past several years, some relating to mental health concerns. Officers had last been in contact with Van Rootselaar sometime last year.

Authorities also stated that the suspect was born biologically male and had begun transitioning to female approximately six years ago.

Inside the school, students described confusion that quickly turned into fear.

Grade 12 student Darian Quist said he had just reached his classroom when a lockdown alarm sounded at around 13:30 local time. At first, he said, doors were simply shut in response to the alert. It was only later, as images began circulating on students’ phones, that the seriousness of the situation became clear.

“We got tables and barricaded the doors,” Darian said, describing how he and his classmates blocked the entrance and remained inside for more than two hours.

Police eventually escorted students out of the building. Darian reunited with his mother, Shelley Quist, at a nearby community centre.

Shelley said she heard officers forcing entry into classrooms through sounds picked up on her phone. Living just a block away from the community centre, she rushed there as soon as she realised what was unfolding.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to establish exactly what led to the attack. For now, the rural town is grappling with a tragedy that has stunned the nation and left families searching for answers.