Transgender dropout who killed family, 6 at former school posted about dream of becoming ‘petite’ woman

The transgender high school dropout who slaughtered his mom and stepbrother before gunning down six others at his former school in Canada had whined online about his 6-foot-tall frame making it impossible to live out his dream as a “petite” woman.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, aired his grievances about transitioning as well as his obsession with guns in a series of online posts in the years before unleashing hell at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday, the Telegraph reported.

“Do I have a good build type for HRT [hormone replacement therapy]?” Van Rootselaar wrote in a since-deleted post on a trans community forum.

Jesse Strang holding two fish in a snowy setting.
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, aired his grievances about transitioning as well as his obsession with guns in a series of online posts in the years before the massacre at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday.

Jesse Strang with a rifle.
Van Rootselaar wanted to live out his dream as a “petite” woman, according to posts.Facebook
“Any advice is appreciated, should I put on weight or anything? Work out?”

In one post from March 2020, Van Rootselaar, who described himself as “MtF” (male-to-female) wrote: “I’m pre-HRT 15yo, I’m super skinny, so that sometimes makes me feel kinda good!”

“But I’m Pre-HRT and my expectations are minimal for chest growth, and I’m 6ft tall! Why can’t I be petit an [sic] smol [small]?”

he posts surfaced after Canadian cops indicated it was too early to determine if there was any link between Van Rootselaar identifying as trans and Tuesday’s mass shooting in the small mountain community of Tumbler Ridge.

Van Rootselaar, who authorities said started transitioning roughly six years ago, had a history of police visits to his home amid concerns for his mental health over the years.

Investigators working at Ridge Secondary School after a mass shooting.
Investigators work at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School after a mass shooting on February 11, 2026.AFP via Getty Images
Police are still probing a motive for the horrifying attack that started when Van Rootselaar killed his 39-year-old mother, Jennifer Strang, and his 11-year-old stepbrother in their home before killing six people at his old high school.

The shooter was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound in the wake of the rampage, authorities said.