al jazeera

By Erin Hale
    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) says that at least nine people have been killed in a shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia and a second location nearby.
    The suspected shooter was has also been found dead, with apparent self-inflicted injury, the RCMP says.
    At least two people were “airlifted to hospital with serious or life‑threatening injuries”, while 25 others were being treated locally.
   “All remaining students and staff were safely evacuated,” according to the RCMP.
    British Columbia’s Premier David Eby described the mass shooting as an “unimaginable tragedy”.

BC Premier David Eby urges residents to look after each other

    British Columbia Premier David Eby spoke to the media on Tuesday night, although he could not share much new information beyond what was already released by police.

    “Right now , information is very limited as police do their work, and the RCMP has asked for patience as they work through methodically to ensure they are supporting families and getting to the bottom of what happened today,” he told reporters.

    Eby urged residents to support each other.

    “As British Columbians, I know one of the things we do best is look after each other, and I’m asking British Columbians to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight,” he said.

A recap of events – here’s what happened

    Ten people have been found dead after shootings at a high school and home in the small town of Tumbler Ridge in Canada’s British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon.
   At least 27 people were also injured, including two with serious or life-threatening injuries, local police said.
   A suspected Attacker was among those found dead from what appears to be a self‑inflicted injury, police said, adding they did not believe there were any more suspects or an ongoing threat to the public.
   The shooting occurred at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which has just 160 students. Some students told reporters how they had barricaded themselves in classrooms for up to two hours before being rescued.
   Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney was among those sending condolences to the victims of the shooting. He also suspended his upcoming travel to Germany to attend to the tragedy at home.

Female identified as suspect in Tumbler Ridge shooting: Media

    RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd tells reporters that investigators have identified a female suspect but would not release a name, and that the attacker’s motive remained unclear, The Associated Press news agency reports.

    Floyd said police are still investigating how the victims are connected to the attacker, the AP said.

Tumbler Ridge mayor says he probably knew ‘every one of the victims’

    Darryl Krakowka, mayor of the tiny town of Tumbler Ridge, says the whole community is grieving.

    “I broke down,” Krakowka said when asked about learning how many had died.

    “It’s devastating,” he said.

    “I have lived here for 18 years,” the mayor said of the community of about 2,700 people, which he called a “big family”.

    “I probably know every one of the victims,” he added.

What the RCMP and how is it involved in the Tumbler Ridge shooting

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police – better known by their acronym, RCMP, or the “Mounties” – are Canada’s national police force.
   They may be best known overseas for their red ceremonial uniforms and wide-brimmed hats, but for Canadians, the RCMP is a multipurpose federal law enforcement agency.
   The RCMP provides provincial and territorial-level policing for every region of Canada except Quebec and Ontario, while detachments are also contracted out to police smaller or more remote communities, including Tumbler Ridge.
   The RCMP has this arrangement with 150 communities across Canada, and provides similar services for 600 Indigenous communities.
   Since Tumbler Ridge is overseen by the RCMP, a local detachment responded to the shooting and also fielded questions from the media.
   The mass shooting has since been handed over to the RCMP’s Major Crimes Unit, according to North District RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd.

These things happen elsewhere, they don’t happen here’: Tumbler Ridge reporter

    Trent Ernst, the local journalist in Tumbler Ridge who spoke to the CBC earlier and who launched a livestream report as the police operation was under way in the town, became emotional when he described how his sense of safety had been shattered.

    Ernst recalled reading about the grisly murder of an international student, Jun Lin, in Montreal in May 2012 and the feeling that such a crime could never happen in his small town.

    “The week that happened, the front cover of the newspaper in Tumbler Ridge was this mama duck, these baby ducks walking through downtown. I wrote about this saying … I love the fact that this is Tumbler Ridge news,” he told the CBC.

    “There’s that sense of quietness, safety. These things are things that happen elsewhere; they don’t happen here,” Ernst said.

    “And that’s been shattered,” he added.