Chilling new details have emerged about Tuesday’s shooting as authorities in British Columbia, Canada, clarified the timeline of a multi-site attack that killed nine people and injured 25 in the small town of Tumbler Ridge.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials said they believe the 18-year-old suspect, Jesse Van Rootselaar, first shot and killed two family members at home before traveling to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where six more people were killed. The suspect then died by suicide as police arrived.
In a news release Thursday night, police identified the two family members as Van Rootselaar’s mother, 39-year-old Jennifer Jacobs, and her 11-year-old stepbrother, Emmett Jacobs.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(508x0:510x2):format(webp)/emmett-jacobs-021326-02b3329ee0604fb6bd426f2375dd8825.jpg)
“The BC RCMP offers sincere condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, and to the entire Tumbler Ridge community that is grieving alongside them,” Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said. “This is a time of deep sorrow, and many are still processing the weight of this tragedy. We will continue to support the families, respect their wishes, and walk with the community as it begins the long journey toward healing.”
The shooting — one of the deadliest in Canada’s history — has shaken the Tumbler Ridge community and prompted national grief as officials continue to release information about the victims, many of whom were young.
Police said four 12-year-old students and one 13-year-old student were among those killed at the school. A 39-year-old educator also died in the attack, which was the deadliest in Canada since April 2020.
“Everything feels so surreal,” Peter Schofield, the grandfather of 13-year-old victim Ezekiel Schofield, wrote on Facebook. “The tears just keep flowing. So many young lives were ended so needlessly. Our hearts are broken not only for Ezekiel, but for every family affected by this tragedy.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(437x0:439x2):format(webp)/jennifer-jacobs-021326-33dae19254c64d80a7caf11ebc3352a6.jpg)
Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka said he “broke down” after learning about the shooting Tuesday afternoon.
“I have lived here for 18 years,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “I probably know every one of the victims.”
Investigators have not released a motive. A local officer told CBC that authorities may ultimately “struggle” to understand what drove the attack.
