One of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history in decades occurred in the small mountain town of Tumbler Ridge in northeastern British Columbia.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), a shooting broke out at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon around 1:20 p.m. local time. Officers arriving at the scene found the bodies of six people inside the school. Another person died en route to the hospital. Two additional victims were found dead in a residential building, which investigators believe is connected to the incident.
Nine people (not including the suspected shooter) have died, and 27 others have sustained injuries of varying severity. Two of the victims are in critical condition and were airlifted to hospitals. The remaining injured are being treated and evaluated at local medical facilities.
The suspect in the attack, a woman, was found dead inside the school building. Police are preliminarily ruling her death a suicide (self-inflicted gunshot). The motive for the crime is still being investigated, and the identity of the attacker has not been officially released.
British Columbia Premier David Ibey called the incident an “unimaginable tragedy” and a “devastating blow” to the small community. Tumbler Ridge, a town of approximately 2,000 people, is located in a picturesque mountain valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
This is the first mass shooting at a Canadian school with such a high death toll since the tragedy at Montreal’s Polytechnique in 1989.
Police are continuing their investigation, and investigators and psychologists are working at the scene. Residents are asked to refrain from visiting the area and follow government instructions.