Canadian authorities said the suspect in Tuesday’s deadly school shooting in British Columbia had a history of police visits to her home for mental health checks. They have also amended the death toll in that case.
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What we know about the suspect
Officials with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) identified the suspect as Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, a trans woman. They said she dropped out of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where the shooting occurred, four years ago.
Police said they had responded to the suspect’s home on multiple occasions over the past several years in response to calls about mental health concerns. They added that Van Rootselaar previously held a valid firearms license, which expired in 2024.
During one of the calls two years ago, police said authorities seized firearms, but they were returned after the owner petitioned for their return.
The shootings
Investigators said Van Rootselaar killed her mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at the family’s home on Tuesday before going to school. Police reported that Van Rootselaar killed six people at the school and injured more than two dozen others.
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As of 2023, 38% of homicides in Canada involved firearms, compared to 76% in the United States.
They initially reported that six people were killed in the school shooting but clarified Wednesday that authorities mistakenly believed a victim who was airlifted to a medical center had died. Police say there is currently no evidence that any of the victims at the school were specifically targeted.
Van Rootselaar also died at the school from what authorities describe as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police recovered two guns from the scene, including a long gun and a modified handgun. The motive for the shootings remains unclear, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The victims
Authorities identified most of the victims as children.
“The deceased victims from the school include an adult female educator, three female students, and two male students,” RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said at a news conference Wednesday.
While their names have not yet been made public, those killed at the school included a 39-year-old teacher, three 12-year-old female students and two male students; one 12 and the other 13. Police said one victim was found in a stairwell, while the others were all found in the school’s library.
Those wounded include a 12-year-old girl named Maya, who is in critical care at the hospital after she was shot in the head and neck, according to a note her mother included on a GoFundMe page.
