Canada shooter may have targeted school ‘to finish off his family’, witness claims

Duncan McKay, a student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, hid in the gym for nearly three hours

The transgender teenager who carried out a mass shooting in a remote Canadian town may have targeted the school to kill his siblings, a witness has claimed.

The 18-year-old gunman Jesse Van Rootselaar, who identified as a woman, shot dead his mother, 39, and stepbrother, 11, before killing five young students, a teacher and himself on Tuesday.

Duncan McKay, 17, was playing badminton during the attack on Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. He recalled hearing more than a dozen shots that sounded like “a hammer banging on metal” before he and his classmates ran to hide.

Duncan did not know the shooter personally, but Van Rootselaar’s younger sister and brother attended his school, and Van Rootselaar’s brother was inside at the time.

“I am positive he went to finish off his family,” he told The Telegraph.

However, the victims of one of Canada’s worst gun incidents – five girls and boys aged between 12 and 13 and a teacher, 39, who were killed in the library and stairwell – were not related to Van Rootselaar, who is the eldest of five.

Another local said they had heard similar claims, but could not confirm. Police have not yet revealed a motive and have warned that it could be some time before they can explain Van Rootselaar’s actions.

The small community in Tumbler Ridge has been devastated by the shooting – Reuters

Officers on Thursday confirmed the victims were Zoey Benoit, Ticaria Lampert, Kylie Smith and Abel Mwansa, 12, Ezekiel Schofield, 13, and teacher Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39.

Recounting the events on Tuesday afternoon, Duncan described how after the sound of gunshots reverberated through the school, the students ran to the equipment cupboard, the lights were turned off and they hid in silence.

One of the teachers who was checking the doors was “shot at twice right through the door,” Duncan said, describing seeing one of the bullets almost graze his leg, while another got caught in the door close to his head.

In the dark gym, they waited for nearly three hours until the police gave the all clear, and they ran to their parents waiting outside.

“I felt complete relief that we made it out of there,” Duncan said.

Posts unearthed by The Telegraph from Van Rootselaar’s deleted social media accounts reveal a troubled teenager suffering from mental health issues and difficulties transitioning gender.

Van Rootselaar’s neighbours said they had hardly seen him

It was reported on Thursday that Van Rootselaar may have created a video game that allowed players to simulate a mass shooting in a level that looks like a shopping mall.

Roblox confirmed to The Telegraph that it has “removed the user account connected to this horrifying incident as well as any content associated with the suspect.” A spokesman added: “We are committed to fully supporting law enforcement in their investigation.”

The violence on Tuesday afternoon has shaken the small community of 2,400 people that makes up Tumbler Ridge, which sits at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia.

Thursday was declared a day of mourning in the town of 2,400. A minute of silence was held across Canada. The mines, where many of its population work, were closed.

Yet the snowy streets of Tumbler Ridge on Thursday were almost empty, except for police and journalists.

Inside the community centre, children and parents gathered together, sharing their stories and holding tightly onto teddies.

Almost every resident The Telegraph spoke to described how “everyone knows everyone here”. Yet, very few appear to have known or met the shooter, describing him as a recluse.

Several of Van Rootselaar’s neighbours said they had hardly seen him.

“This is a very small community, we all feel this, we all know someone who has been affected,” said Danny, 31, who lives several doors down. Asked if he had met the shooter, he said he had “never seen him”.

Neal Smith, 39, another close neighbour said: “I barely saw the person, but I knew the other kids that lived there.”

“Nothing like this should have ever happened here, this is a place where my kids play on the street all day, we know everybody here, my kids played with some of the victims,” Mr Smith added.

Darcy, a 70, who has lived in the town “forever”, described knowing almost every child in the town by name through teaching them all swimming and leading Sunday school.

“I have never heard of the shooter,” she said, adding that he believes he “must have lived a life of isolation”.

Van Rootselaar, who began to transition to a female roughly six years ago, dropped out of school four years ago.

Police confirmed there was a “history of police attendance at the family residence,” some relating to mental health and others relating to firearms incidents.

He was apprehended and taken for a health assessment more than once, but the last contact he had with police was last year. His gun licence had expired in 2024 and he had no registered guns.

There was no evidence to suggest he was bullied at school for being transgender, police said.