The suspected shooter thought to be responsible for 9 deaths in the small town of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia has been identified by Canadian authorities as 18-year-old trans woman, Jesse Van Rootselaar.

One adult educator and five students aged 12-13 were found dead at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, police said. At least 25 others were injured.

Related

Friends of accused Charlie Kirk shooter say he never talked about trans issues

Van Rootselaar’s mother and stepbrother were found dead at the shooter’s family home. Both are believed to have been shot and killed by Van Rootselaar prior to her rampage at the school.

Police say Van Rootselaar was a former student at the school but dropped out four years ago.

Never Miss a Beat

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

Van Rootselaar began her social transition six years ago, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). She was identified among the dead in the school’s library, where all but one of the victims at the school were shot and killed.

According to an RCMP spokesman, local police visited the suspected shooter’s home on several occasions over several years. The visits included mental health assessments under provisions in Canada’s Mental Health Act.

Firearms were also the subject of at least one call to the family’s home. A number of weapons were seized but later returned to the rightful owner, according to police.

The RCMP spokesman clarified that Van Rootselaar was assigned male at birth and was identified in early reports according to how she identified and presented. Soon after the shooting was called in at 1:20 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, police put out an alert for a “female in a dress with brown hair.”

According to the spokesman, police discovered one deceased individual on a staircase and the rest of the dead, including Van Rootselaar, in the school library.

Police received a call from a neighbor near Van Rootselaar’s family home at 1:47 pm PT, indicating a shooting had also occurred there. A child family member from Van Rootselaar’s home alerted the neighbor.

Police believe Van Rootselaar shot and killed her family members before moving to the school. The type of weapon used in the shootings has not been identified.

Police said they have not uncovered a note authored by the shooter, nor have they identified a motive. They also said, “It’s too early to speculate.” The shooter’s home on Fellers Ave. in Tumbler Ridge has been cordoned off and is being searched by investigators.

The provincial government website lists Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as having 175 students from grades 7 to 12.

The remote community of around 2,400 people lies 600 miles north of Vancouver near the Alberta border in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

The shooting in Tumbler Ridge is the third deadliest mass shooting in Canada, along with a 1996 shooting in Vernon, British Columbia, with an equal number of deaths.  

Trans mass shooters are extremely rare. Data on mass shootings in the United States found that of the 5,748 that took place between Jan. 1, 2013 and Sept. 15, 2025, only five perpatrators, less than one tenth of one percent, were confirmed to be trans.

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.