In a tragic event marking the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history, an 18-year-old named Jessie Strang, identified as transgender, has been confirmed as the gunman responsible for the deaths of eight people, including his mother and brother.
According to a parent of a student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, Strang opened fire in the school’s library on Tuesday afternoon, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The attack claimed the lives of a female teacher, along with three girls and two boys, all aged between 13 and 17.
After the rampage, Strang took his own life at the school. Prior to the school shooting, he had killed his mother, Jennifer, and brother, Emmett, at their home, according to CTV News.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) identified the shooter on Wednesday as Jesse Van Rootselaar, who was known socially and at school as Jessie Strang. It is reported that Jessie began identifying as female at the age of 12, and there had been several police call-outs to the family home concerning Jessie’s mental health.
RCMP added that Jessie began identifying as female six years ago, aged 12 and said there had been multiple call-outs to his home related to his mental health.
Strang stopped attending school four years ago aged just 14, the spokesman said.
A parent whose son attends the school said his child knew Strang and played sports with his sister
His son was at the academic institution Tuesday when Strang carried out the deadly massacre. He is now ‘afraid to go back to school’, his father added.
Juno News and Western Standard News were among the first publications to identify Strang and reveal his transgenderism.
Students are pictured outside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in Canada on Tuesday after transgender mass shooter Jesse Strang killed 10
Maya Gebala was one of 27 people injured in the shooting. She was shot in the head and neck and is receiving urgent medical treatment at a hospital in Vancouver
A total of 25 people were injured in the massacre. Maya Gebala, 12, was shot in the neck and head and is currently being treated in hospital. She is the only victim named so far.
Sources told the Daily Mail that Strang lived at the home with three relatives.
Strang is also believed to have used she/her pronouns on her since-deleted social media accounts.
Locals Juan van Heerden and Liam Irving told the Western Standard that Strang was a ‘quiet kid’ who was often seen ‘sitting by himself in the corner’.
Irving said his mother works at the school and was on the floor where the shooting took place. ‘She heard pretty much all the shots,’ he added.
Irving claimed Strang’s mother and younger brother were well known in the Tumbler Ridge community, and ‘good friends’ of his family.
‘There’s not one person in this town right now that’s not affected by this,’ he added.
Among the at least two dozen children and teachers injured in the attack is 12-year-old Maya Gebala who is fighting for her life after being shot in the head and neck.
Maya’s family said she was hit by shrapnel during the shooting but it was unknown how she was hit and how much damage was done.
Children were led out of the school as emergency services rushed to the building following the shooting
Police said at least seven students at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School were shot dead on Tuesday afternoon, with two other people also found dead at a residence in Tumbler Ridge, before the shooter killed themselves at the school
Her mother Cia Edmonds said she was by her critically wounded daughter’s bedside after she was airlifted to Vancouver Children’s Hospital.
‘Today started as any other. Now, however, my 12-year-old daughter is fighting for her life while they try to repair the damage from a gunshot wound to the head, and one to the neck,’ she said.
‘She was a lucky one, I suppose. Condolences to the other families during this tragedy. This doesn’t even feel real.
‘I never thought I would be asking for prayers… but please, please pray for my baby.’
An emergency alert was issued to Tumbler Ridge residents around 1.20pm local time Tuesday, warning of an active shooter in the area.
An urgent lockdown alarm sounded in the hallways shortly after 1.30pm, instructing students and staff to barricade the doors.
Tumbler Ridge, a picturesque mountain valley town in the foothills of the Rockies about 736 miles north of Vancouver, has a population of 2,400.
It is described as an ‘incredibly safe community’ by town councilors.
The remote community is known for its lakes, rivers, waterfalls and hiking trails. The area earned UNESCO Global Geopark status due to the presence of hundreds of dinosaur tracks and fossils.
Maya was one of at least two-dozen children and teachers wounded when a ‘female in a dress’ opened fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School
The secondary school, which enrolls 175 students, and its elementary school, will be closed for the rest of the week.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a social media post that he was devastated by the shooting.
‘I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens,’ he wrote.
Carney’s office said he is suspending a planned trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia and Munich, Germany. He was set to announce a long-awaited defense industrial strategy in Halifax on Wednesday before heading to Europe for the Munich Security Conference.
Eby, the province’s premier, told reporters he had spoken to Carney after what he called the ‘unimaginable tragedy’.
‘I know it’s causing us all to hug our kids a little bit tighter tonight,’ he said. ‘I’m asking the people of British Columbia to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight.’
