Nine dead, including suspect, after Canada high school shooting as prime minister says 'it's time to come together'

"The killer, who police named as Jesse Van Rootselaar, died by suicide after the shooting on Tuesday in Tumbler Ridge, a remote community in the Pacific province of British Columbia. Police revised the death toll down to nine from the initially reported 10. "Police had attended that (family) residence on multiple occasions over the past several years, dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect," said Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, commander of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia. McDonald said Van Rootselaar, who was born male but began to identify as a female six years ago, had first killed her mother, 39, and 11-year-old step-brother at the family home. She then went to the school, where she shot a 39-year-old woman teacher as well as three 12-year-old female students and two male students, one aged 12 and one aged 13. "We do believe the suspect acted alone ... it would be too early to speculate on motive," he told a press conference."

"Earlier in the day a visibly upset Prime Minister Mark Carney promised Canadians would get through what he called a "terrible" shooting. Carney, who has postponed a trip to Europe, said he had ordered flags on all government buildings be flown at half-mast for the next seven days. "We will get through this. We will learn from this," he told reporters, at one point looking close to tears. "But right now, it's a time to come together, as Canadians always do in these situations, these terrible situations, to support each other, to mourn together and to grow together.""

Jesse Van Rootselaar carried out a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, killing nine people before dying by suicide. The victims included Van Rootselaar's 39-year-old mother, an 11-year-old step-brother, a 39-year-old teacher and five students aged 12–13. Police revised the death toll to nine from an initial count of ten. RCMP said officers had attended the family residence multiple times over several years for concerns about the suspect's mental health. Van Rootselaar was born male and had begun identifying as female six years earlier. Authorities believe the suspect acted alone and said it is too early to determine a motive. National leaders ordered flags at half-mast and offered condolences.

Read at Irish Independent