A remote mountain community in Canada is grappling with shock and grief following the country’s deadliest school shooting in decades, which left at least nine people dead.
Authorities responded to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, in the northeastern British Columbia town of just 2,400 residents, early Tuesday afternoon. Police discovered six people had been killed and dozens injured. Another victim died on the way to the hospital, while two more bodies were later found at a home in the township, believed to have been killed by the same assailant.
The shooter, found dead at the school from a self-inflicted injury, was described in an emergency alert as a brown-haired woman wearing a dress, according to CBC News. Police have confirmed the identity of the shooter but have not released additional details, including whether the individual was a minor.
Two victims were airlifted to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, and roughly 25 others received treatment at a local medical facility. Officials have not disclosed the ages or identities of the victims.
“We are not in a place now to be able to understand why or what may have motivated this tragedy,” said Superintendent Ken Floyd of the British Columbia Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why,’ but we will try our best to determine what transpired.”
Mass shootings are rare in Canada, where gun laws are stricter than in the United States, and incidents of this scale are almost unheard of. In 2023, firearms were involved in 38% of Canadian homicides, compared with 76% in the U.S., according to national statistics. Gun ownership in Canada is also significantly lower, with an estimated 35 guns per 100 residents compared to 121 per 100 residents in the U.S.
Tumbler Ridge, located in the Rocky Mountain foothills about 680 kilometers (422 miles) from the U.S. border, is known as a tight-knit community. “I will know every victim. I’ve been here 19 years, and we’re a small community,” said Mayor Darryl Krakowka. “I don’t call them residents. I call them family.”
The school itself has just 175 students across Grades 7 to 12. One senior, Darian Quist, told CBC he spent two hours barricaded in a classroom with classmates before police escorted them to safety. “The reality of it all is starting to set in. I believe I knew somebody, but everything is still very fresh,” Quist said.
The last school shooting of comparable scale in Canada occurred in 1989, when a gunman killed 14 women at Montréal’s École Polytechnique—a tragedy that sparked national debate about violence against women and stricter gun legislation.
“This is the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places, and not close to home,” said British Columbia Premier David Eby. “We can’t imagine what the community is going through. But I know it’s causing us all to hug our kids a little tighter tonight.”
Authorities have not released information about the type of firearm used. Assault-style rifles, the weapon class in several of the deadliest U.S. school shootings, are illegal to purchase in Canada.
This is the second mass homicide in British Columbia in less than a year. In April, a man drove an SUV into a crowd at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver, killing 11.
In response to Tuesday’s tragedy, Tumbler Ridge schools will remain closed for the rest of the week. Larry Neufeld, provincial MP for Peace River South, called the shooting “tragic and deeply disturbing,” noting the profound impact on a small, close-knit community.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his condolences on X, stating his “prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence.”