Canada School Mass Shooting Leaves Nine Dead in British Columbia; Suspect Found Dead

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A mass shooting in the remote western Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, in Canada, left nine people dead on Tuesday, including seven victims at a local secondary school, before the suspected gunwoman was found dead from what police described as a self-inflicted injury.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said 27 others were wounded in the attack. Two victims remain in serious condition, while 25 suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The violence unfolded in Tumbler Ridge, a quiet mountain valley community of roughly 2,400 residents located more than 1,100 kilometers north of Vancouver, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Authorities said an alert was issued Tuesday afternoon about an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Responding officers discovered six people dead inside the school building. A seventh victim, suffering from a gunshot wound, died while being transported to hospital.

Separately, police located two additional bodies at a residence in the town that is believed to be connected to the incident. Investigators have not yet clarified the nature of that connection.

At the school, officers also found “an individual believed to be the shooter” deceased, with what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury, according to an RCMP statement. While Canadian media reported that the suspect was female, police declined to confirm the identity or provide further details during a press conference.

RCMP Northern District Commander Ken Floyd described the episode as “a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation,” adding that officers continue to search other homes and properties in the community to determine whether additional sites are linked to the attack.

“This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional day for our community, and we are grateful for the cooperation shown as officers continue their work to advance the investigation,” Floyd said.

The municipality of Tumbler Ridge expressed profound grief in a statement, saying: “There are no words sufficient for the heartbreak our community is experiencing tonight.”

Students recounted chaotic scenes inside the school as it went into lockdown. Darian Quist, a student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary, told CBC he was in his mechanics class when an announcement ordered the school into lockdown.

“At first I didn’t think anything was going on,” he said, but soon began receiving “disturbing” photos of the carnage circulating among students. “Then it set in what was happening.”

Quist said he remained in lockdown for more than two hours until police entered the classroom, instructing students to raise their hands before escorting them from the building.

His mother, Shelley Quist, said she embraced her son once authorities declared the site secure. “He’s not going to be out of my sight for a while now,” she told the broadcaster.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by the “horrific” shooting.

“My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence,” Carney wrote in a social media post.

Carney has suspended a planned trip to the Munich Security Conference in Germany in response to the tragedy, his office confirmed. He had been scheduled to attend the conference from Wednesday through Sunday.

“Following the tragic news out of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, the Prime Minister will be suspending his planned travel out of the country for the time being,” the Prime Minister’s office said.

Federal opposition leader Pierre Poilievre also condemned the attack, calling it a “senseless act of violence.”

Mass shootings are extremely rare in Canada. However, the country experienced another high-casualty incident in April when 11 people were killed in a vehicle attack targeting a Filipino cultural festival in Vancouver.

Authorities have not announced a motive for Tuesday’s shooting, and the investigation remains ongoing.