Nine people were killed Tuesday in the town of Tumbler Ridge, a remote area in western Canada, after a mass shooting that began at a high school and spread to a nearby residence.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reported that seven of the victims died at the educational center and two others were found dead in a home related to the incident.
Authorities received an alert about an active shooter at the school and, after entering the building, found six people dead.A seventh victim, injured by a gunshot at the same location, died while being transported to the hospital.
Subsequently, the uniformed officers located the alleged perpetrator of the attack, who was found dead with a wound that, according to investigators, would have been self-inflicted.
The attack also left 27 people injured: two of them in serious condition and 25 minor injuries.Although some local media indicated that the armed person was a woman, the RCMP did not confirm or reveal details about her identity.
Tumbler Ridge Health Center activated Code Orange after the shooting, indicating the response to a mass casualty incident and the implementation of restricted access protocols, Northern Health Authority spokesperson Eryn Collins told The Globe.
The health authority, in coordination with British Columbia Emergency Health Services and the RCMP, asked residents of the region who require non-urgent medical care to postpone their visits to the health center for now.
Commander Ken Floyd, of the RCMP, highlighted the quick reaction of emergency teams and the collaboration of the community to control the situation, which he described as especially difficult for all the inhabitants of Tumbler Ridge, a town located more than 1,100 kilometers north of Vancouver.
“We are grateful for the cooperation shown, as officers continue to advance the investigation,” Floyd said after the events.
British Columbia Minister of Public Safety and Attorney General Nina Krieger said the RCMP has lifted the emergency alert in TumblerRidge following recent tragic events.He pointed out that the authorities do not consider that there are suspects on the run or a persistent threat to the population.
The official added that both the school staff and the students who remained in the facilities, about 100 people in total, were safely evacuated after the incident.
Krieger expressed his condolences to the victims, their families and the entire community, underscoring the impact of the “devastating” event that shocked both the town and the province.He thanked the RCMP and the first response teams for their quick and courageous action, and assured that all necessary resources will be deployed to support both the investigation and the affected residents.
Following the shooting, Tumbler Ridge elementary and middle schools will remain closed for the rest of the week.In a statement released, the school district reported that both the local high school and elementary school will suspend their activities due to the tragic events.
The district also announced that it will make support services available to the community and that, once the locations of these resources are defined, the information will be communicated through social networks.
(With information from AFP)
