Students at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School will not return to the current school site in the wake of last week’s mass shooting at the school and at a nearby home that left nine people dead, the local school district said.
In a Feb. 13 letter to families, Christy Fennell, superintendent of School District No. 59 (Peace River South), said the district will prioritize students’ emotional and physical safety and will announce its plans over the next week. She added that the existing school site will not be re-opening.
“As we create our plans, the expectation is that we will not be returning to the current high school site,” Fennell wrote, noting that while some families may prefer school routines to continue for their children at this time, “others may not feel ready.”
The superintendent said her district will work with community partners and continue offering support to students and families at the local recreation centre, which is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.
“These early days continue to be incredibly difficult, and our priority remains supporting our deeply impacted community,” she said in the letter.
B.C. Premier David Eby shared similar sentiments when he offered condolences and support for the community of Tumbler Ridge during a Feb. 13 vigil in the aftermath of the deadly school shooting in the small northeastern B.C. town.
Eby praised the teachers who acted heroically to protect their students, as well as the students who followed their teachers’ instructions, with older students comforting younger ones and some administering first aid to a fellow student.
The premier added that he was aware of the anxiety felt by the students at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and promised that “not one of you will ever be forced to go back to that school.”
“We will provide a safe place for you to go to school,” he said.
Shooter and Victims
The suspect in the Feb. 10 massacre was identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar of Tumbler Ridge, according to local RCMP in a Feb 11 news release. The Tumbler Ridge RCMP said at a press conference that Van Rootselaar was born male and began transitioning to female about six years ago, and had a history of mental illness.
The shooting at the town’s secondary school and at a house claimed the lives of eight victims as well as the life of the shooter, who police say died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident also resulted in 27 individuals being injured.
Victims include five students aged 12 or 13, one educator, as well as the shooter’s mother and younger half-brother. Two of the injured students were air-lifted to hospital, with one of them remaining in critical condition.
Killed at the school were Zoey Benoit, 12; Kylie Smith, 12; Ticaria Lampert, 12; Abel Mwansa Jr., 12; Ezekiel Schofield, 13; and Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39, an educator. The shooter’s mother, Jennifer Jacobs, 39, and half-brother Emmett Jacobs, 11, were killed at their home.
Investigation Ongoing
More than 80 students, educators, and first responders have been interviewed so far in the case, the Tumbler Ridge RCMP said in their Feb. 13 news release. “Additional witness interviews are still underway,” the RCMP said in the investigative update.
The police added that forensic investigators expected to complete their work at the school and the home by Feb. 14. Meanwhile, they are also processing a vehicle connected to the suspect.
Autopsies on the eight victims and the suspect are expected to be finished by the end of the weekend, law enforcement said.
In addition, the RCMP said they are prioritizing the investigation into the origin of four firearms: a long gun and a modified rifle seized at the high school, and two firearms, including a shotgun, seized among a number of other firearms at the residence.
“The shotgun is believed to be involved [in] the homicides at the home and has never been previously seized by police,” the police said. “Our investigation has also determined the main firearm believed to be used in the mass shooting at the school has never been seized by the RCMP and its origin is unknown. Efforts continue to identify the owners and source of all other firearms.”
Condolences have poured in from around the world, including from King Charles and leaders of Australia, France, Norway, India, Ukraine, and many other countries.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, federal party leaders, and local representatives also offered their condolences during the Feb. 13 vigil in Tumbler Ridge where Premier Eby spoke.
“I, the leader of the Opposition, the leader of all the federal parties, wanted you to hear—not from Ottawa, not through a screen, but standing here together in your home—we wanted you to hear that Canadians are with you, that we will always be with you,” Carney said.
Paul Rowan Brian contributed to this report.
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