Tumbler Ridge School Shooter Was ‘Hunting’ in Random Attack, RCMP Say in Update

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald says the shooting at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School wasn’t targeted.

“In speaking with investigators, there was no specific targeting of any individuals,” McDonald said in an update on Feb. 13. “This suspect was, for lack of a better term, hunting. They were prepared and engaging anybody and everybody they could come in contact with.”

The shooting claimed the lives of eight victims at the school and a local residence, with the shooter dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. The incident also resulted in 27 individuals being injured, with two students airlifted to hospital.

More than 80 students, educators, and first responders have been interviewed so far in the case, according to police. McDonald noted that when officers responded to the call of a shooting on the afternoon of Feb. 10, somebody leaned out of a window of the high school and told them the shooter was upstairs.

McDonald said that forensic investigators expect to have their work at the school completed by Feb. 14 and added that authorities are also processing a vehicle connected to the suspect, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar. Police said the suspect was born a biological male and identified as transgender.

Autopsies on the eight victims and the suspect are expected to be finished by the end of the weekend.

Among the victims are five students aged 12 or 13, one teacher, and Van Rootselaar’s mother and stepbrother.

Firearms

A shotgun and “a number of other firearms” were discovered at the residence, according to McDonald. He said the shotgun is believed to be the weapon that Van Rootselaar used in the shooting at the home. McDonald said the shotgun was unregistered and has never previously been seized by police.

Police said they are prioritizing the investigation of four firearms: a long gun and a modified rifle seized at the high school, and two firearms, including the shotgun, seized at the residence. Police had previously described the second weapon as a “modified handgun.”

“We’re trying to determine and trace the origin of all firearms,” McDonald told media Feb. 13. “We don’t know if there’s other parties in terms of procuring that weapon.”

According to the RCMP’s Feb. 13 release, the origin of the main weapon used in the shooting is unknown and police are investigating how it was obtained.

“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,” the release reads. “Efforts continue to identify the owners and source of all other firearms.”

Police said they are continuing to analyze and go through digital and physical images, including CCTV cameras and body camera footage from officers who responded to the shooting on the afternoon of Feb. 10.

McDonald added that Van Rootselaar’s mother did hold a valid Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) but had no firearms registered under it.

Police said they had seized firearms two years ago from Van Rootselaar’s residence under the Criminal Code but said the weapons were returned after their owner successfully petitioned to get them back. No criminal charges were laid in the incident.

Police said Van Rootselaar had a firearms licence that expired in 2024. They added no firearms were registered under Van Rootselaar’s name.

McDonald said he “can’t comment” on who made the application to have the firearms that were seized returned to Van Rootselaar’s residence, nor can he comment on which weapons were seized from and returned to the home.

Online Activity

RCMP also said they are still assessing and investigating Van Rootselaar’s online activity.

“We’re trying to pursue all of those leads,” McDonald said of the suspect’s online history, but warned of “false trails” that are also appearing online that are factually inaccurate.

Van Rootselaar, who went by Jesse Strang, had a history of mental illness and had written online about frequent use of illegal drugs as well as being on prescription medication. The suspect also wrote of being in a psychiatric ward and having been arrested for trying to burn down the family home while on psychedelic mushrooms.

Archived versions of a YouTube channel apparently made by Van Rootselaar depict an anime cartoon figure holding a rifle with a background of the transgender flag. Police say Van Rootselaar dropped out of high school four years ago and had begun a gender transition process from male to female around six years ago.