Ten people, including the suspected shooter, are dead following a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, on February 10, 2026, marking one of the deadliest such events in Canadian history. The incident unfolded at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby residence, prompting an active shooter alert that was lifted late Tuesday evening.
Six people were found dead inside the school, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Two more were discovered at a home believed to be connected to the shooting, and another person died en route to hospital. At least 25 people were treated for injuries, with two airlifted to hospital with life-threatening conditions, police confirmed.
The suspected shooter, identified by authorities as a woman, was also found dead, appearing to have died by suicide. Police initially described the suspect as “a female in a dress with brown hair” during the active shooter alert. RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd later confirmed the individual described in the alert was the same person found deceased at the school.
The shooting has prompted an outpouring of grief and shock in Tumbler Ridge, a remote community of approximately 2,400 people located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. “It’s hard to know what to say on a night like tonight. It’s the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places and not close to home,” British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters.
The incident is particularly notable as mass shootings in North America are overwhelmingly carried out by men. Canadian authorities have released limited details about the shooter’s identity or potential motives.
Canada has stricter gun control laws than the United States, but licensed gun ownership is permitted. The Trudeau government has introduced restrictions on handguns and assault-style weapons since 2020, following previous mass shootings in Nova Scotia and the U.S. School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Attempts to ban certain rifles and shotguns were later abandoned due to opposition from farmers and hunters.
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which serves students in grades seven through twelve, has approximately 160 students. The school will remain closed for the remainder of the week, and counselling services will be made available to students and staff. The town’s small RCMP detachment responded to the scene within two minutes of receiving the initial call, according to officials.
The shooting ranks among the deadliest in Canadian history. In April 2020, a gunman in Nova Scotia killed 22 people during a 13-hour rampage. Canada’s worst school shooting occurred in December 1989, when a gunman killed 14 female students and wounded 13 at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal before taking his own life.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney postponed a planned announcement in Halifax on February 11 regarding a novel Defence Industrial Strategy, as well as a subsequent trip to the Munich Security Conference in Germany, in response to the shooting. “I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence,” Mr. Carney said on social media platform X.
The RCMP Major Crime Unit is continuing to investigate the incident, and authorities have stated there is no ongoing risk to public safety.
