A small Canadian town is grappling with unimaginable loss after a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School left nine victims dead and 27 people injured, marking one of the deadliest attacks in the nation’s history.
The rampage unfolded Tuesday afternoon in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, a close-knit community of approximately 2,400 people located more than 1,100 kilometers (685 miles) northeast of Vancouver in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Police received reports of an active shooter at 1:20 p.m. MST, prompting an immediate lockdown that lasted more than four hours before the alert was cancelled at 5:45 p.m. PT.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police discovered six victims dead inside the school. A seventh victim died while being transported to hospital. The suspected shooter was found dead at the scene from what authorities described as “a self-inflicted injury.” Two additional victims were found dead at a residence in town that police believe is connected to the school attack, bringing the total death toll to 10, including the shooter.
Twenty-seven people suffered injuries in the attack. Emergency health services airlifted patients to area hospitals, with at least two people reported in serious or life-threatening condition.
Students huddled behind barricaded classroom doors for more than two hours as the horror unfolded around them. Darian Quist, a Grade 12 student, told CBC that when he realized it wasn’t a drill, he and his classmates “got tables and barricaded the doors.” He later described the experience as “almost surreal.”
Bryan Castellarin, whose 15-year-old son Ashton survived the attack, described the terrifying ordeal. “All of a sudden they heard gunshots going off,” Castellarin said, recounting his son’s experience. Students remained trapped and frightened for two to three hours. “My son was trying to console them. He tried to stay as calm as he could, but he is pretty shaken up, and he is scared.”
When police finally secured the building, students were marched outside with their hands raised and searched by officers before reuniting with their families. Officers arrived at the school within two minutes of receiving the initial report, a response time British Columbia Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger credited with preventing further casualties.
Police initially described the suspect as female in a dress with brown hair in emergency alerts sent to residents. Superintendent Ken Floyd of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said authorities believe they have identified the shooter but have not yet released the person’s name or other details. “I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why,’ but we will try our best to determine what transpired,” Floyd said.
The tragedy has devastated Tumbler Ridge, a town developed in the early 1980s to support coal mining operations in the region. Mayor Darryl Krakowka expressed the profound personal connection residents share with the victims. “I will know every victim. I’ve been here 18 years, and we’re a small community,” Krakowka told the CBC. “I don’t call them residents. I call them family.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered flags on all federal government buildings flown at half-mast for seven days and cancelled question period in Parliament Wednesday. “Parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love. The nation mourns with you and Canada stands by you,” an emotional Carney told Parliament.
Carney also cancelled his scheduled trip to the Munich Security Conference to remain in Canada during the crisis. He had been scheduled to deliver a speech at the conference and meet with multiple world leaders. Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger announced that trauma-informed counselors were being dispatched to the region to coordinate support services.
Messages of condolence poured in from around the world. King Charles III and Queen Camilla said they were “profoundly shocked and saddened” by the attack, calling it “a senseless act of brutal violence.” Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre called on Canadians to unite in support of the families and community of Tumbler Ridge. Governor General Mary Simon urged Canadians to provide support, saying, “In this unimaginable moment of tragedy, the whole of Canada has Tumbler Ridge in its thoughts.”
Hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser, whose Team Canada held an Olympic boot camp in the area in 2010, remembered the town fondly. “It’s a beautiful quaint town. My heart hurts for the families of those lost and this community which always be forever special to me,” she wrote. The Toronto Blue Jays also released a statement offering condolences to the community.
Larry Neufeld, the Conservative MLA for Peace River South who represents the region, said he was devastated. “I don’t know that my thoughts and prayers are enough for the people of Tumbler Ridge,” Neufeld said. “It’s beyond devastating.”
Both Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and the town’s elementary school have cancelled instruction through the end of the week. RCMP officials are expected to provide an update Wednesday as the investigation continues.
