Ten Dead in Canada High School Shooting

Ten people were killed on Tuesday after an assailant opened fire at a high school in western Canada, an attack that authorities described as one of the deadliest mass shootings in the country’s recent history.

Shooting unfolds in small British Columbia town

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said six people were found dead inside a high school in the remote town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Two additional victims were discovered at a nearby residence believed to be connected to the incident, while another person died while being transported to hospital.

At least two others were hospitalized with serious or life-threatening injuries, and as many as 25 people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

A suspected shooter was found dead at the school from what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury. Authorities said they do not believe there are any additional suspects or an ongoing threat to the public.

Suspect described as female

Police released few details about the assailant, saying only that the shooter was described as female, a potentially unusual development given that mass shootings in North America are overwhelmingly carried out by men.

An active shooter alert described the suspect as “female in a dress with brown hair.” Police Superintendent Ken Floyd later confirmed that the individual described in the alert was the same person found dead inside the school. Authorities did not say how many of the victims were minors.

Community shaken by rare act of violence

Tumbler Ridge is a municipality of about 2,400 people in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, roughly 1,155 kilometers northeast of Vancouver. The area is known for its isolation and tight-knit population.

Tumbler Ridge Secondary School serves about 160 students in grades seven through 12. School officials said classes were canceled for the remainder of the week and counseling services would be made available.

Officials said the town’s small RCMP detachment arrived at the scene within two minutes of receiving the initial call. “This is a small, tight-knit community with a small RCMP detachment as well, who responded in two minutes, no doubt saving lives today,” British Columbia Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger said.

Premier David Eby described the tragedy as something Canadians rarely expect at home. “It’s the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places and not close to home,” he said.

Among Canada’s deadliest shootings

The attack ranks among the most lethal mass shootings in Canadian history. In April 2020, a gunman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia during a 13-hour rampage. Canada’s deadliest school shooting occurred in December 1989, when 14 female students were killed at Montreal’s École Polytechnique.

Following the attack, Prime Minister Mark Carney postponed a scheduled announcement on Canada’s defense industrial strategy and delayed a planned trip to Germany. “I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.,” Carney said, offering condolences to victims’ families.