Tumbler Ridge school shooting: PM Carney ‘devastated’ by attack that left 10 dead including suspect – latest updates | Canada
Tumbler Ridge shooting: what we know so far
Police in Canada say 10 people are dead, including the suspect, in a mass shooting that appeared to target a high school in northern British Columbia.
More than two dozen victims have been hospitalised in what the premier, David Eby, called an “unimaginable tragedy” that ranks among the deadliest events of its kind in Canadian history.
Here is a look at what we know so far about the shooting in Tumbler Ridge:
Key events
‘So difficult’ to leave victims’ families, says local pastor
Pastor George Rowe of the Tumbler Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church said he encountered very “difficult” scenes when visiting the recreation centre where the victims’ families had been awaiting more information.
“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,” Rowe told Associated Press.
“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.”
Tumbler Ridge shooting: what we know so far
Police in Canada say 10 people are dead, including the suspect, in a mass shooting that appeared to target a high school in northern British Columbia.
More than two dozen victims have been hospitalised in what the premier, David Eby, called an “unimaginable tragedy” that ranks among the deadliest events of its kind in Canadian history.
Here is a look at what we know so far about the shooting in Tumbler Ridge:
‘No words that can ease the fear and pain’
It has just ticked past 10pm on Tuesday night in Tumbler Ridge, BC. Police were first alerted to an emergency at the secondary school at about 1.20pm.
The chair of the parent advisory council for Tumbler Ridge elementary and Tumbler Ridge secondary has urged families to check in with their kids after the shooting.
In a statement provided to CBC, Nicole Noksana said the community should rely on official information and respect the privacy of those affected once more details become clear.
“There are no words that can ease the fear and pain that events like this cause in a school community,” she said.
Interim Summary
Here is a look at what we know so far about the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia:
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Canadian police received a report of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge secondary school at around 1:20pm.
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The response time of Canadian police to show up at the scene was 2 minutes, according to British Columbia premier David Eby.
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10 people are dead, including the shooter whose identity has not yet been disclosed by authorities.
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Six people were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge secondary school, one person died on the way to the hospital and two more were found dead inside a residence.
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The shooter is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
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25 other people with varying degrees of injuries are currently being treated.
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All remaining students and staff were safely evacuated from the school.
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Canadian police said that “we believe we’ve been able to identify the shooter” but will withhold details as the investigation continues.
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Tumbler Ridge elementary and secondary school will remain closed for the rest of the week due to the shooting.
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Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said he is “devastated” by the shooting and said that he “stands with all British Columbians as they confront this horrible tragedy.”
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Carney has canceled his upcoming trip to the Munich security conference in Germany in response to the shooting.
Also speaking to CBC was 12th grade student Darian Quist’s mother, Shelley Quist.
Quist told the outlet that she was at work when she was alerted about the shooting, saying that she could see “RCMP everywhere, fire, ambulances” from her office at the local hospital.
“There was an RCMP crouched down in our parking lot with his gun drawn,” she added, saying that her employer had asked anyone with kids to return home due to the active shooter situation.
Quist told CBC that she had stayed on the phone with her son the whole time, adding that she could hear “police “kicking” her son’s classroom door down.
“We live very close, a block away from the community centre. I literally almost ran over there,” she said, adding that she did not believe that Darian was safe until she actually saw him, CBC reports.
Tumbler Ridge high school student: ‘We got tables and barricaded the doors’
Darian Quist, a 12th grade student at Tumbler Ride secondary school, has spoken to CBC about the moment the shooting occurred.
According to Quist, moments after he got to his class at 1:30pm, an alarm went off with lockdown instructions to close the doors.
“We got tables and barricaded the doors” for over two hours, he said told CBC, adding that he was receiving photos on his phone from the scene.
He went on to say: “The reality of it all is starting to set in… I believe I knew somebody, but everything is still very fresh.”
Describing to CBC a situation that was “almost surreal,” Quist said: “It felt like I was somewhere that I had only seen across a TV.”
British Columbia premier David Eby has listed out support lines to those affected by the shooting in Tumbler Ridge.
Writing on X, Eby said:
All of BC is wrapping the families of Tumbler Ridge with love.
Supports are available:
BC Mental Health Support Line: 310-6789
Kids Help Phone: Text ‘CONNECT’ to 686868
Thank you to the emergency responders on the ground for the work they are doing.”
More than two dozen victims have been hospitalised in what premier David Eby called an ‘unimaginable tragedy’ that ranks among the deadliest events of its kind in Canadian history.
Victoria police has also responded to the shooting, saying in a statement online:
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge.
VicPD extends our heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who were injured, and to the entire Tumbler Ridge community as they navigate this unimaginable loss. Our thoughts are also with the students, educators, and first responders who have been profoundly impacted.
In moments like this, communities across British Columbia stand together and share in the grief.”
Tumbler Ridge shooting one of the worst in Canadian history
Leyland Cecco
Even with the scant information provided by police, the shooting is one of the worst in Canadian history.
Because of Canada’s strict gun laws, which make it difficult to own both handguns or “assault-style weapons”, the country has experienced far fewer instances of mass violence compared with the US.
Still, the shooting is the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. In 1989, a gunman killed 14 students at Montreal’s L’Ecole Polytechnique in an attack that targeted women. In 2016, five people were killed in a series in La Loche, Saskatchewan.
Mark Carney cancels planned trip to Munich security conference
Jonathan Yerushalmy
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has cancelled a planned trip to the Munich security conference, due to the school shooting in Tumbler Ridge.
Carney was set to travel to Germany on Wednesday, but has suspended the trip along with plans to announce a new Defence Industrial Strategy in Halifax, according to his office.
In a post online, the Canadian prime minister said 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.”
Eby, upon being asked whether he has any details about the weapon involved, said he does not have any details yet from Canadian police.
Eby also said that he plans to visit Tumbler Ridge “as quickly as possible” to provide support to the families and friends of victims.
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