The B.C. RCMP have identified the suspect in the Tumbler Ridge school shooting as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a resident of the northeastern B.C. community.
Family and friends confirmed to CTV News the shooter’s identity as Jesse Strang.
Police said nine people are dead, including the suspect.
Here’s what we know so far.
Age and identity
Van Rootselaar was 18 years old at the time of the shooting.
RCMP said they “identified the suspect as they chose to be identified in public and social media,” explaining that Van Rootselaar was born biologically male.
She was a resident of Tumbler Ridge.
Police began putting tape out near theTumbler Ridge Secondary School and surrounding buildings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jesse Boily
Was she a student at the school?
Police said Van Rootselaar was not attending Tumbler Ridge Secondary School at the time of the shooting and had previously dropped out.
RCMP have not provided details about when she left the school or what her connection to the current students may have been.
Was this a targeted attack?
Investigators said it’s too early to determine motive.
“We don’t have information at this point to suggest that anyone was specifically targeted,” RCMP deputy commissioner Dwayne McDonald said.
Police have also declined to confirm the nature of any relationship between the suspect and the victims.