Alleged shooter 'in a dress' behind Canadian school massacre was trans-identifying man

Evil was visited upon the picturesque Canadian community of Tumbler Ridge in Northeastern British Columbia this week.

After allegedly killing his mother and stepbrother off-campus, a trans-identifying man opened fire inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon, ultimately killing six people and wounding dozens more.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police indicated that at approximately 1:20 p.m., their local detachment received a report of an active shooter at the secondary school. The suspect was described in an official emergency alert sent to local residents during the shooting as a "female in a dress with brown hair."

Officers promptly responded to the scene, entering the school and searching for the threat. During their search, they found numerous victims as well as an individual believed to be the shooter, dead with an apparently self-inflicted injury.

'Almost unbearable.'

Footage shows students being evacuated from the school as law enforcement secures the building, which has a Progress Pride Flag prominently displayed in one window.

"This was a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation, and the swift cooperation from the school, first responders, and the community played a critical role in our response," said RCMP North District Commander Chief Superintendent Ken Floyd.

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that among the dead are a female teacher, three female students, and two male students. The victims' ages ranged from 12 to 39. The RCMP indicated that around 25 others received treatment at the nearby medical center for non-life-threatening injuries.

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Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Mounties found two additional bodies at a nearby residence — the suspected shooter's mother and stepbrother, whose names CTV News confirmed were Jennifer Strang and Emmett.

A long gun and a modified handgun were found at the scene.

The RCMP canceled the active shooter alert at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, thereby ending the lockdown and secure and hold at both the secondary and elementary schools. Citing Tuesday's atrocious events, the schools indicated that they would remain closed for the remainder of the week.

In the immediate wake of the massacre, RCMP Staff Sergeant Kris Clark said that law enforcement had likely identified the shooter but would not disclose the shooter's identity for the sake of the investigation and for "privacy reasons."

Authorities also suggested that they will "struggle" to determine a motive for the Tumbler Ridge shooting, reported state media.

The suspected shooter was later identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar of Tumbler Ridge. RCMP confirmed he was a man who began to "transition" about six years ago.

Russell Strang, the alleged shooter's uncle, confirmed to Juno News that the teen was responsible for the massacre and identified as transgender.

A father and local hockey coach who has multiple kids at the school told Rebel News' Drea Humphrey that during the massacre, his middle daughter, who is in grade nine, was hiding in the mechanics classroom with one of the shooter's brothers. The father suggested that the suspected shooter was hunting down his siblings but was unsuccessful in finding them at the school.

The father told Humphrey that when people learned that Van Rootselaar, who was also alternatively referred to by his mother's last name, was alleged to be the shooter, there wasn't much surprise because "he's messed up."

A newly removed YouTube account named JessJessUwU believed to have belonged to the suspect, according to Juno News, features a transgender flag and an SKS rifle. The account also indicated that owner used "she/her" pronouns," which have been dutifully used in liberal media reports.

A Facebook account belonging to an apparently Tumbler Ridge-based woman named Jennifer Strang linked to the JessJessUwU YouTube account on July 6, 2021, stating, "Check out my oldest son Jesse Strang YouTube channel. He posts about hunting, self reliance, guns and stuff he likes to do."

According to the RCMP, police repeatedly went to Van Rootselaar's home in recent years in response to mental-health-related calls, some involving weapons.

While firearms were at one point seized from the home, they were later returned, according to RCMP Deputy Commissioner McDonald.

On Tuesday evening, British Columbia Premier David Eby implored Canadians "to wrap the people of Tumbler Ridge, wrap these families with love, not just tonight but tomorrow and into the future."

Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed gratitude "for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens" and extended his condolences to the families and friends "who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence."

Chris Norbury, a councilman in Tumbler Ridge whose wife is a teacher in town, told state media that he knew all of the victims.

"I've seen them grow up," said Norbury. "We sang stories together, we read books together. ... I saw them everywhere. And knowing that I can't see them any more, that we won't see them any more, that their family has to live with this incredible loss … is almost unbearable."

Van Rootselaar appears to be the latest addition to a growing list of recent trans-identifying mass shooters.

• A trans-identifying man shot up a Catholic church full of children in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, killing two children and injuring 30.
• A male-identifying woman planned to shoot up an elementary school and a high school in Maryland in April 2024 but was stopped in time by police — then later convicted.
• A trans-identifying teen stalked the halls of a school in Perry, Iowa, on Jan. 4, 2024, ultimately murdering a child and an adult and wounding several others.
• A trans-identifying woman stormed into a Presbyterian school in Nashville on March 27, 2023, murdering three children and three adults.

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