Nine people were killed and dozens injured in a mass shooting at a secondary school and a nearby residence in western Canada on Tuesday, before the suspected gunman died from what police described as a self-inflicted injury.
The attack occurred in Tumbler Ridge, a small mountain town in British Columbia with a population of about 2,400 people. Authorities said 27 others were wounded, including two who sustained serious injuries, while 25 suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), officers responded to reports of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon. Inside the school, police found six victims who had been fatally shot. A seventh victim died from gunshot wounds while being transported to hospital.
Police later discovered two additional bodies at a residence in the community that they said is believed to be connected to the incident.
“At the school, an individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self-inflicted injury,” the RCMP said in a statement.
Authorities have not released the identity, age or motive of the suspect. While Canadian media reported that the shooter was female, police declined to confirm details about the suspect.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by what he described as “horrific acts of violence” and announced he would suspend plans to travel to the Munich Security Conference, where he had been scheduled to meet with international allies.
British Columbia Premier David Eby described the attack as “unimaginable,” while the municipality of Tumbler Ridge said the community was experiencing profound heartbreak.
“There are no words sufficient for the heartbreak our community is experiencing tonight,” the municipality said in a statement.
Students described chaotic scenes during the lockdown. Darian Quist, a student at the school, told CBC he was in a mechanics class when an announcement placed the school under lockdown. He said he later began receiving disturbing images showing what had happened.
Police kept students inside for more than two hours before entering classrooms and escorting them out after declaring the site secure.
Quist’s mother, Shelley Quist, said she embraced her son once they were reunited. “He’s not going to be out of my sight for a while now,” she told the broadcaster.
The RCMP’s northern district commander, Ken Floyd, described the situation as “rapidly evolving and dynamic” and said officers were continuing to search other properties in the area to determine whether there were additional sites linked to the attack.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada, though recent years have seen isolated incidents of large-scale violence. Authorities said investigations into Tuesday’s attack are ongoing.
