In a harrowing incident that has left a Canadian community reeling, high school students at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School endured hours of terror as a gunman claimed the lives of at least seven of their peers.
The suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed, was described by authorities as a person carrying a firearm and dressed in a distinctive manner.
Tragically, the violence didn’t stop at the school. Police reported discovering two additional fatalities at a residence in Tumbler Ridge on Tuesday afternoon, bringing the total death toll to nine.
The shooter ultimately succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the school premises, according to officials.
Darian Quist, a senior at the school, recounted the chilling experience to CBC. He was in his mechanics class when the school was thrust into lockdown.
“Initially, I didn’t think much of it,” Quist shared. “I assumed it was just a routine ‘Secure and Hold’ drill. But as more information started to circulate, we realized something was gravely wrong.”
Quist said he and his classmates were then left to hide in fear for their lives for over two hours, which was only broken when cops eventually escorted them out of the classroom.
He described the atmosphere in the classroom ‘very nervous’, which was made worse when he saw gruesome evidence of the carnage at his school sent to his cell phone.
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
Children at the school seen being escorted from the campus with their hands raised following the horror shooting
‘Once people sent me some photos, it definitely set in what was actually happening,’ the student said.
‘They [the photos] were disturbing, just showing blood and things like that. That’s when it all really set in.’
The student said their teacher quickly organized students by making them move tables against doors and create an escape plan.
He said they then waited anxiously until ‘police came through the door, yelling, ‘Hands up, hands up.”
Footage showed the students filing out of the school with their hands raised, with cops stationed throughout the campus during the lockdown.
The shooter was pronounced dead at the scene. Police believe they died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Twenty-five others were injured in the Tuesday afternoon massacre at the small, rural high school. Their conditions remain unknown at this time.
The attacker has not yet been named and their motive remains unclear. An emergency alert described the shooter as a ‘female in a dress with brown hair’.
Details about the victims, including their ages, are being withheld pending family notification, police said, citing Canadian privacy laws.
At least 10 people were killed and dozens more injured at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon
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 councillors.
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.
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.’
