RCMP confirm 10 fatalities in Tumbler Ridge school shooting

(Horizon Weekly) – A mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby residence in northeastern British Columbia has left at least ten people dead, including the suspected shooter, and dozens more injured, in a tragedy that has shocked Canada’s tight-knit communities.

The attack unfolded on Tuesday afternoon, when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received reports of an active shooter shortly after 1:20 p.m. local time in the remote town of about 2,400 residents. Responding officers issued an emergency alert and raced to the scene.

Six victims were found dead inside the school, and another died en route to the hospital, while two others were discovered at a residence believed to be connected to the shootings. The suspect, described in police alerts as a female in a dress with brown hair, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted wound.

At least 27 people were treated for gunshot wounds, including several with serious injuries; students and staff endured a lockdown lasting more than two hours before being evacuated.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called the events “devastating” and extended condolences to the victims’ families, while British Columbia Premier David Eby described the shootings as an “unimaginable tragedy” for the community and the nation. Flags at government buildings have been ordered at half-mast as Canada mourns.

Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, a public institution serving Grades 7 through 12, will remain closed for the rest of the week as grief counselling and crisis supports are mobilized for students and families.

This violence marks one of the most severe school massacres in Canada’s recent history, coming decades after landmark tragedies such as the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montréal.