Bold opening: A quiet town is shaken to its core as a devastating school shooting leaves a trail of irreplaceable losses, and the community now faces a long road to healing.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney is set to join mourners in Tumbler Ridge on Friday, as authorities and relatives disclose details about the six children and an assistant teacher who were killed at the town’s remote high school by a shooter. Carney will attend a vigil in memory of the victims and has invited leaders from all political parties to join him in what has become Canada’s deadliest mass shooting in years.
Among the deceased is 12-year-old Kylie Smith, described by her family as “the light in our family.” In their statement, they shared that she loved her family, friends, and school, and that she was a talented artist who dreamed of attending an art school in Toronto. They added, “Rest in paradise, sweet girl; our family will never be the same without you.”
Kylie’s father, Lance Younge, recalled spending six hours at the local recreation center as students were reunited with their families, trying to learn what had happened to his daughter. He told CTV News, “I went home not knowing where my daughter was until a high school student came here and told us her story about trying to save my daughter’s life.”
Zoey Benoit’s family described the 12-year-old victim as resilient, vibrant, smart, caring, and the strongest little girl you could meet. Peter Schofield, whose grandson Ezekiel Schofield, 13, was killed, expressed his grief in a Facebook post, writing, “Everything feels so surreal. The tears just keep flowing.”
Abel Mwansa Sr. shared a heartbreaking note about his son, Abel Mwansa Jr., 12, writing on Facebook that he was “broken” seeing his boy’s lifeless body. He remembered a bright future ahead—a potential leader, engineer, and even a scientist.
Sarah Lampert, whose 12-year-old daughter Ticaria was among the victims, told reporters that Ticaria simply wanted to bring sunshine to everyone she touched and that she now has to figure out how to live without her daughter.
Authorities later identified the remaining victim as 39-year-old assistant teacher Shannda Aviugana-Durand. In addition to the victims in the town, police reported that the suspect’s mother, Jennifer Jacobs (also known as Jennifer Strang), and her 11-year-old stepson Emmett Jacobs were found dead at the family home nearby. The suspected shooter, identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, was found at the school with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police say they had been called to the suspect’s home on multiple occasions in recent years due to concerns about mental health issues and weapons. RCMP deputy commissioner Dwayne McDonald noted there were several interactions under mental health grounds, including cases where the suspect had been apprehended for assessment and follow-up. He added that at least one prior interaction involved weapons: firearms had been seized under the criminal code, and later the lawful owner petitioned for their return.
Officials reported the suspect held a firearms license that had expired in 2024 and that no firearms were registered in her name.
Trent Ernst, publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines, pointed to a chronic lack of medical and mental health support in the town, which sits more than 1,000 kilometers (about 600 miles) northeast of Vancouver. He highlighted that five mental health nurses serve the community, but such coverage is not the norm, and there are periods with little to no mental health services available.
Mourners faced a bitterly cold night as they paid tribute to the victims. Mayor Darryl Krakowka urged people to allow themselves to grieve openly, saying, “It’s OK to cry.” He described Tumbler Ridge as a close-knit family and urged the community to support the families of those who were killed, not just in the days ahead but for the long term.
With reporting from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
