Ten people have been killed and 25 wounded after a shooting at a school and home in northeast British Columbia, Canada on Tuesday afternoon
In an emergency alert which went out to residents’ phones, authorities described the suspect as a brown-haired woman wearing a dress, according to CNN affiliate CBC News.
Police know the identity of the suspected shooter but did not give further details, and declined to say if they were a child.
Officers did not name any of the victims on Tuesday night and would not say how many of the dead were children.
Most of the victims were found dead at the school in Tumbler Ridge, while the bodies of two people were found at a home in the township.\
Mass shootings are rare in Canada, a country with much stricter gun laws than the US, and school shootings of this scale are almost unheard of.
In 2023, 38% of homicides in Canada involved a firearm, while 76% of homicides in the US were firearm-related, according to an analysis by Canada’s national statistics body using police-reported data from the Uniform Crime Reporting programs in both countries.
Gun ownership in Canada is also far less common than in the US. According to the Small Arms Research project, there are 121 firearms for every 100 residents in the US compared to an estimated 35 guns per 100 residents in Canada.
Police know the identity of the alleged shooter, who was also found dead at the school with a self-inflicted injury, but did not give further details and declined to say if they were a child.
Mass shootings are rare in Canada, a country with much stricter gun laws than the US, and school shootings of this scale are almost unheard of.
Students are seen leaving the Tumbler Ridge school after Tuesday’s deadly shooting
The secondary school has just 175 students from Grades 7 to 12, according to the province’s website. Police found six people dead and dozens injured immediately when they arrived at the school early on Tuesday afternoon.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the shooting has “deeply shaken us.”
“Our thoughts are with the people of Tumbler Ridge as they mourn their families, friends, and loved ones. I wish those who were injured a swift recovery,” he posted on X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “shocked” by the news of the shooting. “When children are killed, no one should remain indifferent. Such tragedies should never happen anywhere,” he said.
For context: Officers did not name any of the victims on Tuesday night and would not say how many of the dead were children.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country “stands in solidarity with the people of Canada in this moment of profound grief.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said “horror has stuck a school,” adding that his thoughts are “with the families of the victims, the injured, and the entire educational community.”
“France stands with the Canadians,” he added.