What We Know About the BC School Shooter So Far

Police have identified 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar as the suspected killer of eight individuals in Feb. 10 shootings at a secondary school and residence in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. The incident is the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history.

Neighbours of Van Rootselaar told The Epoch Times that Van Rootselaar was a transgender person with mental health issues.

The RCMP confirmed at a Feb. 11 press conference that Van Rootselaar was born a biological male and started the gender transition process about six years ago. Police also said they had visited the suspect’s household on several occasions related to mental health issues as well as to secure firearms. The last such visit was last spring, the RCMP said.

Van Rootselaar was found dead at the secondary school from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

Police say Van Rootselaar’s mother and step-brother were killed by the suspect before the individual went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. The shooting at the school resulted in the death of one teacher and five students aged 12 to 13. Twenty-seven individuals were also injured in the attack, with one in critical condition.

Van Rootselaar dropped out of school around four years ago, police said.

Accounts

One of Van Rootselaar’s relatives, who preferred to remain unnamed for privacy reasons, said the suspect had a fixation on playing war video games and had access to a bayonet as well as deactivated grenades. The relative said Van Rootselaar “only seemed happy when toying with guns or playing shooter games” and had previously threatened to shoot up the secondary school in Tumbler Ridge.

The individual said a weapon in the suspect’s home was confiscated by police after Van Rootselaar’s school shooting threats but was later given back.

The RCMP noted on Feb. 11 that two years ago police seized firearms from the residence under the Criminal Code but they were returned after the lawful owner successfully petitioned for their return and no criminal charges were laid. Police said no firearms were registered in Van Rootselaar’s name; however, the suspect did have a firearm licence that had expired in 2024.

An August 2024 post by the suspect’s mother, Jennifer Jacobs, shows a gun safe with several firearms inside it with the caption, “Think it’s time to take them out for some target practice.”

The RCMP said they recovered a long gun and modified handgun at the scene of the Feb. 10 school shooting and are still investigating their origin and how they were obtained.

Social Media Footprint and Drug Use

Jacobs, Van Rootselaar’s now-deceased mother, in a 2021 Facebook post shared a link to a YouTube channel that she said belongs to Van Rootselaar. Archived versions of the page show a profile photo of an anime cartoon character next to an SKS rifle with a background of the light-blue and pink transgender flag.

Social media posts in 2023 appearing to be from the suspect speak about getting out of the “psych ward” four months earlier and being on high dosages of psychiatric medications including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine and the anti-psychotic medication quetiapine. Van Rootselaar’s relative confirmed the suspect had spent time in a psychiatric ward.

Earlier posts mention frequent use of cannabis and DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine), a dangerous psychedelic substance.

The posts also reference several experiences with psilocybin psychedelic mushrooms, with the suspect saying in one instance its use led to being arrested for arson for trying to burn the family’s house down.

Facebook posts by the suspect’s mother in 2015 express concern over some of Van Rootselaar’s behaviour when the suspect was around 8 years old.

“When it’s play time he loves to run, scream, squak & sometimes he hurts his siblings (he doesn’t hit at all at school). The school wants him tested for a behavioural disorder,” Jacobs wrote.

“I find at home he also has times where he can be very helpful and nice. Then other times he is pretty mean. So that makes me think it’s more of a me problem than his problem. We don’t spank or yell. So I don’t think he’s acting out because he’s angry.”

Police said they still don’t know the motivation for the killings, and are still investigating. The RCMP added that the suspect didn’t leave any notes behind before the incident.

The school shooting in Tumbler Ridge is the second-deadliest school shooting in Canada. The 1989 massacre at École Polytechnique in Montreal resulted in the deaths of 14 women, and the gunman later took his own life.