Canada’s Tumbler Ridge Mass Shooting: Timeline and Victims

On February 10, 2026, Canada saw one of its deadliest mass shootings in the small town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The suspect in the shooting has recently been identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar.

Tumbler Ridge has a population under 2,500 and is located in the foothills of the B.C. Rockies in northeastern British Columbia.

On the day of the attack, after 2:00 p.m., Van Rootselaar shot and killed two family members in their home on Fellers Avenue in Tumbler Ridge. The victims were identified as the suspect’s mother, 39-year-old Jennier Jacobs, also known as Strang, as well as an 11-year-old boy reported to be the suspect’s stepbrother, Emmett Jacobs.

Media outlets report that a young female family member fled the residence and ran to a neighbor’s home, where the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were contacted.

Police soon received a call about an active shooter at the nearby Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, just 1.5 km from the shooting on Fellers Avenue. They responded within two minutes and first responders to the scene, Sgt. Bill Hughes, Const. Jonathan Kohut, Const. Tyler Noon and Const. Nick Gachter, were shot at as they attempted to get inside the building. The shooter was armed with both a long gun and a modified handgun.

After the first sounds of gunfire in the stairwell of the school, students ran into classrooms and began pushing furniture up against the doors to barricade themselves inside.

Six people died in the attack, including 39-year-old teacher Shannda Aviugana-Durand, as well as several students between the ages of 12 and 13, named by the RCMP as Kylie May Smith, Ticaria “Tiki” Lampert, Abel Mwansa Jr., Zoey Benoit, and Eziekiel Schofield.

An additional 27 people were injured.

A candlelight vigil was held outside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where stuffed animals, candles, and notes were placed in memory of those who lost their lives.

Shannda Aviugana-Durand had worked at the school for more than ten years and was described as protective, patient, and gentle.

Kylie Smith loved to draw, figure skate, and play volleyball. She was described by loved ones as artistic and creative. She had ambitions to attend art school in Toronto when she was older.

Abel Mwansa Jr. was funny and liked to make his classmates laugh. He loved sports, especially hockey and soccer, as well as science.

Ticaria “Tiki” Lampert was a kind girl who loved to dance. Her mother called her “Tiki Torch” and described her as “a blazing light in the darkness.”

Zoey Benoit wanted to grow up to be a veterinarian because she loved animals so much, and Eziekiel Schofield was a quiet boy who loved dirt bikes and mechanics.

Jesse Van Rootselaar was officially named as the shooter after her body was found inside the school and formally identified. She died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Justin Van Rootselaar, who the BBC reported referred to Jesse using male pronouns, called Jesse's actions a "senseless and unforgivable act of violence" and shared his grief in a statement. He said, "There are moments when words feel far too small for the sorrow we are carrying together. What has happened has left an ache in the heart of our town that will not soon fade." He went on to say that he was estranged from his child, blaming Jesse's mother for the lack of contact, saying his presence was "declined from the beginning."

Rootselaar was born on August 4, 2007. She identified as a trans woman, describing herself online as MTF (male to female). Born male, she had identified as female for the past several years. According to media outlets, she often wrote about her struggles on social media, discussing potentially starting hormone replacement therapy and lamenting that she did not feel petite at 6 feet tall.

Rootselaar was the oldest of five siblings. Earlier in childhood, she moved around Canada, traveling through Newfoundland, Grand Cache, and Powell River in what a judge would later describe as "an almost nomadic life." Due to custody disputes between her parents, she was eventually made to move back to British Columbia.

Although Van Rootselaar did attend Tumbler Ridge Secondary School around the age of 14, she eventually dropped out.

After she was identified in the media, the BBC reported that police had been called to the shooter's home on multiple occasions for issues connected to mental health. Two years earlier, police had even seized firearms from the home, which were then returned when "the owner petitioned." Authorities have not publicly confirmed who owned the firearms.

When asked if the suspect had a gun license or firearms at the time of the shooting, Deputy Commissioner Annie Delisle responded that the suspect's license had expired in 2024 and there were no firearms registered to the suspect at the time of the shooting.

Given the timeline, some observers have suggested that the license in question may have been a youth firearms license and that the firearms could have belonged to an older family member, although this has not been confirmed by authorities.

The Telegraph (UK) reported that images and videos from the shooter's now-deleted social media account, published online by the paper, show the shooter's interest in guns. In one short video, Van Rootselaar can allegedly be seen firing a gun at what appears to be a range in the fall of 2023.

 

The Guardian (UK) reported, via 404 Media, that Van Rootselaar had created a shooting simulator on Roblox through Roblox Studio, a game that has since been removed.

Roblox said in a statement:

“We have removed the user account connected to this horrifying incident as well as any content associated with the suspect. We are committed to fully supporting law enforcement in their investigation.”

 

The shooting has shaken the small town of Tumbler Ridge. Hundreds from the community with a population of less than 2,500 came out to candlelight vigils to mourn the victims.

Addressing those in the Tumbler Ridge community, Prime Minister Mark Carney said: “When you wake up tomorrow and the world feels impossible, know that millions of Canadians are with you.”