Nine people have been killed and at least 25 injured in a devastating shooting incident that struck both Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby residence in the small, remote British Columbia community of Tumbler Ridge on February 10, 2026.
The attack, one of Canada’s deadliest school-related shootings in recent decades, has left a tight-knit rural town in profound grief and shattered its longstanding sense of safety.
Key Details of the Incident
– Timeline: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received the first report of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School at approximately 1:20 p.m. local time (20:20 GMT). Officers arrived within two minutes.
– Casualties:
– Six victims found dead inside the school
– One additional victim died en route to hospital
– Two more bodies discovered at a connected nearby residence
– At least 25 people injured (mostly non-life-threatening; two airlifted in serious or life-threatening condition)
– Suspect: The suspected shooter was found dead at the school from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. An initial police alert described the suspect as a “female in a dress with brown hair.” Authorities have not yet publicly released the suspect’s name, gender, or motive, but believe the school and home shootings are linked.
– Response: A shelter-in-place/lockdown alert covering the secondary and nearby elementary schools was lifted by around 5:45 p.m. local time after police confirmed no further threats.
Eyewitness and Community Accounts
Students and staff barricaded classrooms with tables, benches, and other furniture to protect themselves. One mechanics teacher described hiding with students for hours, planning an escape route through garage doors if needed. A Grade 12 student recounted the terror of barricading doors as gunshots rang out.
Town councillor Chris Norbury, a former children’s librarian whose wife teaches at the school, said he personally knew every child victim:
“I know these children, I’ve seen them grow up… Knowing that we won’t see them anymore… is almost unbearable.”
Local journalist Trent Ernst, who live-streamed from the scene, captured the community’s shock:
“There is a sense that these things happen elsewhere, they don’t happen here. That has been shattered.”
Leadership and International Response
– Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived at Parliament Hill visibly emotional, stating: “The nation mourns with you. Canada stands by you.” He suspended his schedule—including a planned trip to the Munich Security Conference—and ordered Canadian flags flown at half-mast for one week.
– BC Premier David Eb praised the rapid police response and described the event as feeling like something that “happens in other places.”
– King Charles III, Canada’s head of state, called it a “senseless act of brutal violence” and expressed profound shock on behalf of himself and Queen Camilla.
– Condolences also came from the Prince and Princess of Wales, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and others.
– The Canadian Olympic Committee, with athletes from British Columbia currently competing in Milan, expressed being “heartbroken.”
Gun Violence Context in Canada
Mass shootings remain relatively rare in Canada due to stricter firearm laws compared to the United States. Notable previous incidents include:
– 1989 École Polytechnique massacre (14 women killed)
– 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting (6 killed)
– 2020 Nova Scotia rampage (22 killed, worst in Canadian history)
Following the Nova Scotia attack, Canada banned 1,500 types of assault-style rifles and implemented a buy-back program (with amnesty periods repeatedly extended). The specific weapon(s) used in Tumbler Ridge have not been disclosed.
Canada’s gun homicide rate is significantly lower than the U.S. but higher than England & Wales or Australia.
As of February 11, 2026 (early morning in Tumbler Ridge), roads remain blocked near the school, investigations continue, and the community begins the long process of mourning and healing. Authorities are still notifying next of kin, and victim identities have not yet been released.
