Canada is grieving one of the worst firearms tragedies in its recent history, after an alleged shooter burst into the secondary school in the town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, on February 10, fatally shooting seven people. Two other fatalities were found in a nearby residence, in a fact that investigators link to the main shooting. The attacker died from a self-inflicted wound, according to police.

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Canada is in shock after suffering one of the deadliest shootings in its recent history.

At least ten people died — including the shooter — most of them at Tumbler Ridge High School in western Canada, local police reported.

Two other gunshot deaths were found in a residence in the same remote town of 2,400 inhabitants, more than 1,000 kilometers north of Vancouver. The authorities link the two events with the same shooter, who has only revealed that it was a woman.

"Families are still waiting to know if it is their son who died"

One of the few videos released after the shooting shows students leaving the school with their hands up as police vehicles surrounded the building and a helicopter hovered over the perimeter.

The nearby primary school was also placed on “hold and secure”, a school security protocol, through which all access to the school was closed and entry and exit was prevented until the measure was lifted.

"The families are still waiting to know if it is their son who died and, due to protocol and procedure, the investigative team is very careful in releasing names," the Rev. George Rowe, of the Tumbler Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church, told the AP from the point of information to the victims' families.

Canadian authorities emphasize that this is one of the worst recent gun massacres in Canada, comparable in scale only to that of 2020 in Nova Scotia and the Montreal Polytechnic school massacre in 1989.

How did the shooting happen?

The shooting began on Tuesday, February 10, at 1:20 p.m. local time, at Tumbler Ridge High School, where at least 160 students between the ages of 12 and 18 study, according to its website.

The city's small police force arrived at the educational center just "two minutes" after receiving the alert call, Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety of British Columbia, told the press, highlighting that the speed of the uniformed officers helped "save lives."

The uniformed officers found eight lifeless bodies inside the school - including that of the shooter - one of the students died on the way to the hospital, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detailed in a statement. Two other people were found dead in a residence near the institute, in an incident that authorities link to the same shooter.

Two seriously injured people were airlifted to the hospital and at least 25 other people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

A hundred students were evacuated from the institute. The school will remain closed for the rest of the week, but will offer support to those who need it, school authorities reported.

After searching homes and properties, the authorities do not consider that there are any more fatalities or escaped suspects. The British Columbia RCMP Serious Crime Section has taken over the investigation.

Read alsoAt least nine dead in a shooting at a school in Canada

What is known about the person who shot?

The Canadian Police have not released extensive information about the shooter, except that it would have been "a woman with a dress and brown hair," according to the description of the active shooter alert.

Police Superintendent Ken Floyd later confirmed in a press conference that the suspect described in the alert was the same person who was found dead inside the institute with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Floyd informed the press that investigators had identified the suspect, but did not reveal her name, and added that they still do not know the motive for the attack, so the investigations are looking for relationships between the victims and the alleged shooter. He stated that investigators are “not in a position to understand why or what could have motivated this tragedy.”

Some digital media cite relatives of the alleged shooter to attribute the authorship of the attack to an 18-year-old person named Jesse Strang, who on social networks would profile himself as an activist for the rights of transgender people.

However, the Police have not endorsed this data, and, instead, have asked to avoid speculation while forensic and digital evidence is analyzed.

"One of the worst shootings"

Provincial Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger described the Tumbler Ridge shooting as “one of the worst mass shootings in the history” of Canada.

"He probably knew all the victims," ​​lamented the town's mayor, Darryl Krakowka, who described the small town as "one big family."

British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters: "It's hard to know what to say on a night like this. It's the kind of thing that seems to happen elsewhere and not close to home."

These types of mass shootings, more common in the neighboring United States, are not a repetitive event in Canada.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared himself "devastated by the horrific shootings" and joined in the mourning of "those whose lives have been irreversibly changed."

Carney's office announced the suspension of the trip to Halifax (Nova Scotia), where this Wednesday he planned to announce an important defense industrial strategy before leaving for Germany, for the Munich Security Conference, which he will not attend either.

The impact of the Tumbler Ridge massacre has crossed continental borders. In the midst of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, the Canadian Olympic Committee issued a statement in which it declared itself “heartbroken.”

Multiple nations have condemned the attack through their embassies in Canada or in messages on social networks. One of them, Australia, still shocked by the shooting against the Jewish community on Pam Bondi beach, in December 2025.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese posted a message online in which he described himself as “deeply shocked and saddened” by the shooting and added that “Australia's heart goes out to the families and friends of the victims and to all those injured.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkey's foreign ministry issued statements in solidarity with Canada and the victims of Tumbler Ridge.

With Reuters, EFE and local media

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