Canada rocked by the deadliest school shooting in 40 years as a ‘woman in a dress’ opens fire

Canada is in mourning following a tragic shooting in the small town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, where nine people were killed and at least 25 others injured on Wednesday.

The deadly attacks, which took place at both a secondary school and a nearby home, mark one of the nation’s deadliest shootings in decades.

Six victims were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday, February 10, with a seventh dying en route to the hospital.

Authorities also discovered the suspected shooter at the school, who appeared to have died from a self-inflicted injury. Two additional victims were found at a nearby residence, which police believe is connected to the attacks.

Tumbler Ridge, a remote community of just 2,400 people located roughly 415 miles north of Vancouver, is home to a secondary school with around 175 students. A student told CBC that during the shooting, classmates helped “get tables and barricaded the doors” to protect themselves.

“It felt like I was somewhere that I had only seen across a TV,” Darian Quist, a Grade 12 student, told CBC.

Canadian federal police Chief Superintendent Ken Floyd confirmed that the suspect found dead at the school matches the description sent in an alert to residents’ phones earlier in the day.

The alert described the individual as a “female in a dress with brown hair.”

While authorities believe they know the identity of the attacker, they have not released further details, including any connection the suspect may have had with the school. Floyd acknowledged that understanding the motive will be challenging:

”I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why’, but we will try our best to determine what transpired,” he said during a virtual news conference. ”We are not in a place to understand why or what may have motivated this tragedy.”

In a statement, the RCMP said:

“As part of the initial response to the active shooting, police entered the school to locate the threat. During the search, officers located multiple victims. An individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self‑inflicted injury.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his condolences, calling the incident a “horrific” tragedy:

”I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence.”

Premier David Eby of British Columbia described the shooting as an “unimaginable tragedy” and urged the community to support one another in the aftermath:

”I’m asking the people of British Columbia to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight,” he said.

Mass shootings are rare in Canada. The country’s deadliest prior attacks include the 1989 Montreal mass shooting, which claimed 14 lives, and a 2020 rampage in Nova Scotia, which killed 22 people. Following those events, Canada introduced stricter gun control measures, including a national buyback program for military-style firearms.

Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims or confirmed details about the firearms used. Approximately 100 students and staff were evacuated from the school, which, along with the town’s elementary school and a local college, remained closed for the rest of the week.

Tumbler Ridge, founded as a coal-mining town in the Rocky Mountain foothills, is surrounded by wilderness and located near the Alberta border. The shooting is considered the third-deadliest in Canadian history.