Nine people killed at two different sites:
- Six were found dead in Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, while a seventh died on the way to hospital
- Two other people were found dead at a nearby residence
At least 25 others injured:
- Approximately 25 people were assessed at the local medical centre for various non‑life‑threatening injuries
- Two more people were were airlifted away from the scene with serious or life threatening injuries
Police “are still reaching out” to victims’ families and next of kin, British Columbia Premier David Eby says. The ages and identities of those who have been killed or injured in the attack remains unknown.
The suspected attacker is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was discovered at the school.
‘The sense that these things don’t happen here has been shattered,’ local journalist says
Local Tumbler Ridge journalist Trent Ernst describes seeing emergency service vehicles blocking the roads around the secondary school after the shooting.
Ernst saw the emergency alert – which has since been stood down – about an active shooter. “So I started live streaming from there for about 15 or 20 minutes before my phone died,” he told Canada’s CBC News.
“While I was there I kept hearing reports that more and more places downtown were being shut down.
“There is a sense of these things that happen elsewhere, they don’t happen here. That has been shattered.”
‘Deeply shaken’: French, Australian and German leaders send condolences to Canadapublished at 09:4609:46
We’ve been seeing international reaction to the fatal shooting in Canada, here are some of the latest comments:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is “shocked” by the shooting – adding “such tragedies should never happen anywhere, in any country in the world”. He adds that he hopes that those injured recover quickly
Nine people have been killed and at least 25 injured in a shooting at a school and nearby house in the “small tight-knit community” of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
French President Emmanuel Macron says France “stands alongside” the Canadian people. “Horror has struck a school in Tumbler Ridge, Canada. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, the injured, and the entire educational community,” he writes on X
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is “shocked” and “saddened” by news of the attack. “I send my sincere condolences to all Canadians impacted by this horrific event,” he adds
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz describes being “deeply shaken” by news of the shooting. “Our thoughts are with the people of Tumbler Ridge as they mourn their families, friends, and loved ones. I wish those who were injured a swift recovery”
What we know
- Of the nine people killed in the attacks, six were found dead in Tumbler Ridge Secondary School while a seventh died on the way to hospital. Two other people were found dead at a nearby residence
- The suspected attacker was also found dead at the school with a self-inflicted injury – authorities have said they know the attacker’s identity but have not revealed their name or gender
- A shelter-in-place alert sent to phones in the area described the suspected attacker as a “female in a dress with brown hair”
- At least two other people were taken to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries following the attack, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said
- A lockdown in both the secondary school and nearby elementary school has been lifted but both will remain closed for the remainder of the week
A closer look at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, the location of the fatal shooting, is located in the small town of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia, Canada.
A census taken in 2021 showed that the town’s population stood at around 2,400 people.
A British Columbia district page about the secondary school describes it as a public school with 160 students enrolled across all grades. These range from Grade 7, ages 12 and 13, through to Grade 12, ages 17 and 18 – this is the equivalent to Year 8 through to Year 13 in the UK school system.
An active alert was cancelled at the secondary and elementary schools at 17:45 local time (00:45 GMT) – ending a lockdown which had been put in place during the attack.
Both schools are due to be closed for the remainder of the week while the identities of the victims have not yet been made public.
What are Canada’s gun laws?
In Canada, gun ownership is largely federally regulated – by the national government – and there are stricter gun laws in place than most US states.
Under the country’s Firearms Act, guns must be kept locked and unloaded. Anyone wishing to buy a firearm is also subject to extensive background checks.
A national freeze on private ownership of all short-barrelled firearms has also been in place in Canada since 2022.
That said, there a number of people across the country who own guns – particularly in rural areas, external.
In the past, Canada’s Department of Justice have reported that British Columbia – where Tumbler Ridge Secondary School is located – has the highest ownership of handguns than elsewhere in the country., external
‘Deeply shaken’: French, Australian and German leaders send condolences to Canada
We’ve been seeing international reaction to the fatal shooting in Canada, here are some of the latest comments:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is “shocked” by the shooting – adding “such tragedies should never happen anywhere, in any country in the world”. He adds that he hopes that those injured recover quickly
What we don’t yet know
French President Emmanuel Macron says France “stands alongside” the Canadian people. “Horror has struck a school in Tumbler Ridge, Canada. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, the injured, and the entire educational community,” he writes on X
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is “shocked” and “saddened” by news of the attack. “I send my sincere condolences to all Canadians impacted by this horrific event,” he adds
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz describes being “deeply shaken” by news of the shooting. “Our thoughts are with the people of Tumbler Ridge as they mourn their families, friends, and loved ones. I wish those who were injured a swift recovery”
- The suspect’s identity: Police are yet to share details of the suspect and say they do not yet know their connection to the school
- Any link between the attacks: Police believe there could be a link between the attacks at the school and nearby residence “but are not in a position to provide that definitively”
- The identities or ages of the victims: Details of the victims have not yet been released
- Whether the number of victims could rise: We are yet to hear further updates from authorities, but police earlier said they were continuing to search nearby residences following the shooting, it is unclear whether that search has concluded
‘We all know the victims,’ says local town councillor
More from town councillor Chris Norbury who has been speaking live from Canada with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He describes just how much of a shock the mass shooting has been to the small Tumbler Ridge community.
“We don’t lock our doors here,” Norbury says. “It is an incredibly safe community… we don’t have to worry about crime here.”
He describes going to the secondary school and seeing emergency services blocking the entrance.
Norbury adds: “We have three police vehicles in our town, we are very small. We are a small community. We know each other, we all know the victims. They are our friends, our friends’ children.”
“Unfortunately this is a big tragedy here.”Chris Norbury, Tumbler Ridge town councillor
‘It’s hard to put into words the dread you feel knowing a loved one is in danger’
Tumbler Ridge town councillor Chris Norbury’s wife teaches at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where the attack took place.
Speaking to BBC World Service’s Newsday he says he got a call from Tumbler Ridge Elementary School, which his daughter attends, to say they were going into lockdown. The elementary school is located a short walk away from the town’s secondary school.
“I immediately contacted my wife,” he explains, “and found out from her that the school was [also] in lockdown, she [also] didn’t know why.”
He adds that when he asked her if she was safe he didn’t hear anything back and it wasn’t until later he was able to confirm she was okay.
“It was terrifying, it’s hard to put into words the dread and the fear that you feel knowing that a loved one is in danger,” he says.
What we know about the suspected attacker
Authorities say they know the identity of the suspected attacker but are not yet releasing further details.
In an earlier news conference, RCMP North District Commander Chief Supt Ken Floyd confirmed the suspect found dead at the school is the same person police described in an alert sent to phones. The alert described a “female in a dress with brown hair”.
The suspected attacker was found dead with a self-inflicted injury following the shooting, but police say they do not yet know their connection to the school.
We have not yet received confirmation of the suspect’s gender or identity.
Police believe school and home shooting are connected – but yet to confirm
Royal Canadian Mounted Police say they believe there could be a link between the fatal shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary school and a residence where two people were found dead in the town.
Chief Supt Ken Floyd said: “We believe they’re connected but we are not in a position to provide that definitively right now at this time and what that connection may or may not be.”
He described the mass casualty incident as “a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation”.
‘We got tables and barricaded the doors,’ student tells CBC
A student from Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has spoken to CBC Radio West about being “barricaded” in a classroom during the fatal shooting.
Darian Quist, a Grade 12 student, says he got to class at 13:30 local time (20:30 GMT) when an alarm went off in the hallways with instructions to close the doors for a lockdown.
Grade 12 in Canada is the final year of secondary school, it is equivalent to Year 13 – the last year of A-Levels – in the UK.
Quist tells the news outlet that the doors were closed for a while before he and his classmates realised something was wrong. He says he was receiving photos on his phone from the scene.
Quist and his classmates “got tables and barricaded the doors” for over two hours until police arrived to escort them out of the school, he tells CBC.
Swift response ‘no doubt saved lives’, minister says
British Columbia’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Nina Krieger says police arrived at Tumbler Ridge Secondary school “within two minutes” of receiving the call of an active shooting.
“This is a small tight-knit community,” Krieger says and thanks the responding officers “for their courage, for their dedication and professionalism”.
“No doubt saving lives today,” she adds.
Earlier, in a statement, Krieger said the “devastating events are sending shockwaves through the community and the entire province”.
Update on mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge
If you’re just joining us, here’s the latest on the mass shooting that took place in the quiet community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia:
- Police say an attacker killed nine people before taking their own life on Tuesday
- Six victims were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary school, while a seventh person died on the way to hospital. The body of the attacker was also found at the school
- Two more people were found dead inside a residence nearby
- Police described the suspect as a “female in a dress with brown hair” in an active shooter alert sent to the community
- At least two other people were taken to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries following the attack, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said
- Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, said he is “devastated” by the shooting and that his government “stands with all British Columbians as they confront this horrible tragedy”
- The PM cancelled his upcoming trip to the Munich Security Conference in response to the shooting
Tumbler Ridge mayor – ‘Every victim will be known in small community’
The mayor of Tumbler Ridge, Darryl Krakowka, tells CBC that the community is small and tight-knit, and that he expects the victims to all be people he knows.
“I will know every victim. I’ve been here 19 years, and we’re a small community,” he told the Canadian broadcaster, after emerging from the town hall when the shelter-in-place order was lifted.
“I don’t call them residents. I call them family.”
Victoria Police ‘deeply saddened by tragic mass shooting’
Victoria Police releases a statement saying “we are deeply saddened by the tragic mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge”.
In a post on X, Victoria Police extends their “heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who were injured, and to the entire Tumbler Ridge community as they navigate this unimaginable loss”.
The police force serves the area of Victoria and the Esquimalt in British Columbia, the province where the shootings took place.
One of the deadliest shootings in Canada’s history
The tragedy at Tumbler Ridge is one of the deadliest shootings in Canadian history.
In 2020, a gunman posing as a Mountie – a member of the federal force that police rural areas – killed 22 people in Nova Scotia over a two-day period.
And in 1989, 14 women were killed in an anti-feminist attackat L’Ecole Polytechnique university in Montreal.
Canada has stricter gun laws than the US, making mass attacks like this far less likely there.
Carney suspends planned trip to Germany
Mark Carney has suspended his planned trip to Germany following the school shooting in British Columbia, the PM’s office says, according to Reuters.
The planned trip was to a Munich Security Conference that is usually held over a few days, and is planned to host more than 60 heads of state and government.
The talks are expected to cover everything from artificial intelligence, critical supply chains, support for Ukraine and Nato.
What we know so far
Officials have appealed for patience from the remote community, as the investigation unfolds.
Here’s what we know, and don’t know:
- Police say an attacker killed nine people in the community of Tumbler Ridge, before taking their own life
- Six victims were found dead in a local secondary school, while a seventh died on the way to hospital; the body of the attacker was also found at the school
- Another two bodies were found in a nearby residence
- At least two other people were taken to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
- A shelter-in-place alert sent during the attack identified the suspect as a “female in a dress with brown hair”
- Officials say they know the attacker’s identity, but so far have not publicly revealed their name or gender
- Police also have not identified the type of gun used in the attack, or the ages of the victims who died
- The connection between the school and the residence has also yet to be revealed
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
