Tragic High School Shooting in Canada Leaves Nine Dead, 25 Injured; Suspect Described in Unusual Attire

A tragic shooting incident unfolded in Canada, where a gunman claimed the lives of at least nine individuals and left many more injured at a secondary school and an associated residence.

Authorities discovered eight victims, including the shooter, within Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, alongside two additional victims at a nearby residence.

The shooter, a woman, was found dead at the scene, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In total, 27 people sustained injuries, with two individuals in critical condition fighting for their lives.

The identity of the female shooter has not been released, and her motives remain a mystery. According to an emergency alert sent to mobile devices, she was wearing a dress during the attack.

As police searched the school, they found six people shot dead. A seventh person with a gunshot wound died en route to hospital. 

School children barricaded their classroom doors with tables as they hid from the shooter. 

Darian Quist, a grade 12 student, said he was in a mechanics class when an urgent lockdown alarm sounded in the hallways instructing them to close the doors.

A total of six victims were found inside the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School (pictured), two at a connected residence, and another died while being transported to a hospital, Royal Mountain police said on February 10

Officials said that the suspected female shooter appeared to have died from a self inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. Another 25 people are being evaluated for injuries at a local medical center, with two of those injuries being life-threatening

At first he ‘didn’t think anything was going on’ but then he received ‘disturbing’ pictures showing the carnage at the school. 

‘It set in what was happening’ and for more than two hours they ‘got tables and barricaded the doors,’ Quist said, until police arrived to escort them out of the building, where he met up with his mother. 

Trent Ernst, a former substitute teacher at the school, said: ‘There’s been troubled kids here in town before’.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Superintendent Ken Floyd said: ‘I think we will struggle to determine the “why”, but we will try our best to determine what transpired.

He did confirm if the suspect found dead at the school is the same person described as a woman in a dress with brown hair an the active shooter alert sent out on Tuesday.

Police have not yet released any information about the age of the shooter or the victims. 

‘Officers are conducting further searches of additional homes and properties to determine whether anyone else may be injured or otherwise linked to today’s events,’ they said.

In a statement, the District of Tumbler Ridge: ‘Our hearts are with all those affected, and we recognize that many residents may be feeling shocked, scared, and overwhelmed.’

Tumbler Ridge secondary and elementary schools, will be closed for the rest of the week. 

The secondary school enrolls 175 students from grades 7 to 12. 

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.

An emergency alert asking the public to shelter in place was lifted at 5.45pm local time.

RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd confirmed that the suspect found dead at the school is the same person described as a woman in a dress with brown hair in the active shooter alert sent out earlier today

The district noted that both Tumbler Ridge secondary and elementary schools will be closed for the rest of the week due to the incident 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the RCMP and Tumbler Ridge Secondary School for comment.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said: ‘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.

‘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. 

‘Our ability to come together in crisis is the best of our country — our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other.’ 

‘I have connected with Premier Eby to express my condolences, and with the Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, who is coordinating the federal response.’

‘Our officials are in close contact with their counterparts to ensure the community is fully supported as best we can. The Government of Canada stands with all British Columbians as they confront this horrible tragedy.’

David Eby, the Premier of British Columbia, said: ‘Government will ensure every possible support for community members in the coming days, as we all try to come to terms with this unimaginable tragedy.

David Eby, the Premier of British Columbia, was alongside Solicitor General Nina Krieger during a news conference following the tragedy 

Krieger said during the conference that officers quick response to the scene saved lives. She added that the education ministry staff are sending trauma-informed counsellors to the area to support kids and their families

‘This is something that will reverberate for years to come.’

Eby appeared stunned when asked during a news conference what he’d say to parents afraid to send their children to school.

‘This is the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places, and not close to home in a way that this feels like for many British Columbians and Canadians,’ he said. 

The education ministry staff is sending trauma-informed counsellors to the area to support kids and their families.

Pastor George Rowe from the Tumbler Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church said he encountered very ‘difficult’ scenes when visiting a centre where families were waiting for news.

He said: ‘It was not a pretty sight. Families are still waiting to hear if it’s their child that’s deceased and because of protocol and procedure the investigating team is very careful in releasing names.

‘The big thing tonight was my having to walk away and the families still waiting to find out. It is so difficult. Other pastors and counsellors are there so they are not alone.’