Canadian police identify suspect in school massacre that left nine dead

Canadian police have identified the suspect who carried out a school massacre in remote British Columbia as an 18-year-old woman with a history of mental health problems. Six people, including a teacher and five students, were killed at the Tumbler Ridge secondary school; the victim’s mother and an 11-year-old step-brother were later found dead at the family home.

The shooter’s body was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and deputy commissioner Dwayne McDonald said the death toll had been revised down to nine from an initial 10. One person previously believed to have died survived but remains in critical condition.

Police identified the shooter as Jesse Van Rootselaar and said she arrived at the school armed with a long gun and a modified handgun, opening fire on staff and students; the five students killed were about 12 to 13 years old. Officers arrived within two minutes and were fired upon; when they entered the school they found victims in a stairwell and a classroom.

Canada, Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia

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