Nine people were killed and 27 others injured in a shooting at a secondary school and nearby residence in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, on Tuesday, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Police said an active shooter alert was issued Tuesday afternoon at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, located in the small mountain community in the foothills of the Rockies. Officers responding to the scene discovered six people dead inside the school. A seventh victim with a gunshot wound died while being transported to hospital.
Separately, investigators found two additional bodies at a residence in the town that is “believed to be connected to the incident,” the RCMP said in a statement.
At the school, officers also located an individual believed to be the shooter, deceased from what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury, police said. Authorities have not released the suspect’s identity. While Canadian media reported that the shooter was female, the RCMP declined to confirm those details during a Tuesday press conference.
In total, 27 people were wounded in the attack. Two remain in serious condition, while 25 others suffered injuries described as non-life-threatening, according to police.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by what he called “horrific acts of violence.” He announced he would suspend plans to attend the Munich Security Conference on Wednesday, where he had been scheduled to meet with allies to discuss transatlantic defence readiness.
In a statement late Tuesday, the municipality of Tumbler Ridge said: “There are no words sufficient for the heartbreak our community is experiencing tonight.”
Credit: Vanguard
