Ten people are dead, including the suspect, following a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in northern British Columbia, police confirmed Tuesday. More than two dozen victims have been hospitalized, marking what Premier David Eby called an “unimaginable tragedy” and one of the deadliest such events in Canadian history.
Six people were found dead inside the school itself, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). One person died en route to a hospital, and two more were discovered deceased at a residence in the community of Tumbler Ridge, which has a population of less than 2,500. The suspect was found deceased with self-inflicted wounds, police said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney stated he was “devastated” by the shootings. “I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens,” Carney said. “Our ability to arrive together in crisis is the best of our country – our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other.”
Police responded to reports of an active shooter at the secondary school and arrived within two minutes of receiving the initial call, according to British Columbia’s public safety minister, Nina Krieger. An emergency alert was issued, instructing residents to shelter in place and avoid going outside. The alert, which described the suspect as a female in a dress with brown hair, was lifted at 5:45 p.m. Local time.
Superintendent Ken Floyd, RCMP North district commander, told reporters the scene was “very dramatic” with extensive injuries. Approximately 100 students and staff were safely evacuated from the school. Police have identified the shooter but are withholding details to protect the integrity of the investigation and respect privacy concerns. Floyd said investigators are working to determine any connection to the shooter but declined to speculate on a possible motive. “We’re following all leads to endeavor to determine the connection to the shooter,” he said. “I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why’, but we will try our best to determine what transpired.”
The town’s health centre was placed on Code Orange, indicating a mass-casualty incident. Due to the rural location, at least two victims were airlifted to larger hospitals, with assistance from Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS), which dispatched an aircraft from Grande Prairie, Alberta.
The District of Tumbler Ridge issued a statement acknowledging the “deeply distressing” incident and offering support to the community. “Our hearts are with all those affected, and we recognize that many residents may be feeling shocked, scared and overwhelmed,” the district said. Both the secondary and elementary schools will remain closed for the rest of the week.
Premier Eby, a father of three, expressed his grief, stating the news “makes you want to hug your kids a little tighter.” He urged the public to “wrap these families with love. Not just tonight but tomorrow and into the future. This is something that will reverberate for years to come.” He added, “This is the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places, and not close to home in a way that this feels like for many British Columbians and Canadians.”
The shooting is one of the worst in Canadian history. Canada’s strict gun laws, which limit access to handguns and “assault-style weapons”, have historically resulted in fewer mass violence incidents compared to the United States. However, this event is the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history, following the 1989 attack at Montreal’s L’Ecole Polytechnique, where 14 students were killed, and preceding the 2016 shooting in La Loche, Saskatchewan, which claimed five lives.
On January 28, 2026, Prime Minister Carney met with both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and British Columbia Premier David Eby in Ottawa. While that meeting focused on pipeline discussions, no significant updates regarding a proposed oil pipeline to the West Coast were reported at the time, according to Eby.
