Ten people, including the suspected gunwoman, were killed in a shooting at a high school in western Canada on Tuesday, in what authorities described as one of the deadliest mass casualty incidents in the country in recent years.
Police said the attacker opened fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, killing multiple victims before being found dead inside the school from what appears to be a self-inflicted injury.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said six victims were found dead within the school premises. Two others were discovered at a residence believed to be connected to the incident, while another person died on the way to hospital.
At least two people were hospitalised with serious or life-threatening injuries, and up to 25 others were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators said they do not believe there are additional suspects and confirmed there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Authorities released limited information about the suspect, describing the shooter as female. An earlier active shooter alert identified the suspect as “female in a dress with brown hair.” Police Superintendent Ken Floyd later confirmed that the individual described in the alert was the same person found dead in the school.
Officials have not disclosed a motive for the attack or clarified how many of the victims were students.
The shooting occurred in Tumbler Ridge, a remote municipality of about 2,400 residents located approximately 1,155 kilometres northeast of Vancouver in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
British Columbia Premier David Eby expressed condolences following the incident.
“It’s hard to know what to say on a night like tonight. It’s the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places and not close to home,” he told reporters.
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which serves about 160 students in grades seven through 12, was closed for the remainder of the week.
School authorities said counselling services would be made available to students and staff as the community begins to recover from the tragedy.
