TUMBLER RIDGE, BC – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have officially concluded their on-site investigation at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School following last week’s devastating mass shooting. After days of intensive forensic mapping and evidence collection, the school building has been returned to the local school district. The community remains in deep mourning after the tragedy, which claimed the lives of five students and one teacher, an event that has shaken the small, close-knit town in British Columbia.
The timeline of the tragedy, as established by investigators, reveals a harrowing sequence of events that began at a private residence. Authorities confirmed that the 18-year-old shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, murdered her mother and brother at their home before traveling to the school to continue the attack. Upon the arrival of law enforcement at the campus, the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While the physical crime scene has been processed, the RCMP continues to look into the shooter’s motives and how she obtained the firearms used in the assault.
Despite the police releasing the building, the future of the school remains uncertain. Premier David Eby has publicly stated that no student or staff member will be forced to return to the site of the tragedy, acknowledging the profound psychological trauma associated with the location. School District Superintendent Christy Fennell suggested that it is highly unlikely students will ever return to that specific building, as the community grapples with whether the site can ever again serve as a place of learning.
In the wake of the incident, provincial authorities have surged mental health resources to the region. Counseling services and crisis intervention teams have been established to support the residents of Tumbler Ridge. While the handover of the building marks the end of the initial police presence, the long-term healing process for the families and survivors is only just beginning, with local leaders focused on providing a safe environment for students to eventually resume their education elsewhere.
