A gunman killed nine people and injured dozens more at a secondary school and a nearby residence in the remote mountain town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, on Tuesday before taking their own life, authorities said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that 27 people were wounded in the attack, including two who sustained serious injuries and 25 others who suffered non-life-threatening wounds.
Police said an alert was issued Tuesday afternoon reporting an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Responding officers discovered six people fatally shot inside the school, while a seventh victim with a gunshot wound died while being transported to hospital.
Officers later found two additional bodies at a residence in the town, which police said is believed to be connected to the incident.
“At the school, an individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self-inflicted injury,” the RCMP said in a statement.
Canadian media reports indicated that the suspect was female, but police declined to confirm the identity or provide further details about the shooter during a press conference.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by the “horrific acts of violence” and announced he would suspend plans to attend the Munich Security Conference on Wednesday, where he had been scheduled to hold discussions with allies on transatlantic defence readiness.
In a statement, the municipality of Tumbler Ridge described the tragedy as overwhelming. “There are no words sufficient for the heartbreak our community is experiencing tonight,” it said.
Students recounted scenes of confusion and fear as the attack unfolded. Darian Quist, a student at the school, told public broadcaster CBC that he was in a mechanics class when an announcement was made that the school was in lockdown.
At first, he said, he did not realize the seriousness of the situation, but began receiving “disturbing” photos of the violence. “It set in what was happening,” he said.
Quist said students remained in lockdown for more than two hours until police entered classrooms, instructing them to raise their hands before escorting them out of the building.
His mother, Shelley Quist, said she embraced her son once authorities declared the area safe. “He’s not going to be out of my sight for a while now,” she told CBC.
Trent Ernst, a local journalist and former substitute teacher at the school, said one of his children had recently graduated from Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. “There’s been troubled kids here in town before,” he said.
Authorities have not yet released the ages of the victims or the suspect as investigations continue.
