Canada Rocked by Deadliest School Shooting in History: 10 Dead in Remote British Columbia Town

Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia — A tiny Canadian coal mining community was shattered Tuesday when a gunman opened fire at the local high school, killing seven people before authorities discovered two more victims at a nearby residence, bringing the death toll to ten in what has become one of Canada's deadliest mass shootings ever.

The violence erupted at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, a modest campus serving just 175 students in grades 7 through 12, located more than 600 miles northeast of Vancouver in the rugged Canadian Rockies. The remote town of 2,700 residents, where "everyone knows everyone," according to locals, was plunged into horror shortly after 1:20 p.m. local time.

The Attack Unfolds

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Ken Floyd described a scene of chaos as officers raced to the school following frantic 911 calls reporting an active shooter. Body camera footage would later show students streaming out of the building with hands raised above their heads as tactical teams swept the campus and a police helicopter circled overhead.

"Police officers reached the school within two minutes," British Columbia Premier David Eby said at an evening news conference. "That speed and professionalism saved lives today."

Inside, authorities discovered a devastating toll: six people dead at the scene. A seventh victim died while being rushed to medical care. In total, more than 25 people suffered injuries, with two critically wounded patients airlifted to regional hospitals — one in critical condition, another in serious but stable condition.

But the horror didn't end at the schoolhouse doors.

The Connected Residence

As investigators processed the active crime scene, police executed a search warrant at a private home they believed was connected to the attack. There, they discovered two additional victims, bringing the total number of deceased to nine, excluding the perpetrator.

"The scene was very dramatic, and there are multiple victims that are still being cared for," Superintendent Floyd told reporters, his voice measured but strained. "Detectives are still trying to figure out the connection between the shooter and the school and the residence."

The Suspect

In a rare twist for school shootings, authorities identified the alleged shooter as female — a detail that initially emerged when police issued an emergency alert describing a "female in a dress with brown hair." Superintendent Floyd later confirmed the suspect was found deceased at the school from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police have declined to release the woman's identity, citing the need to notify family members and the ongoing investigation into her motive. Whether she had any connection to the school — as a student, employee, or family member — remains unknown.

A Community in Mourning

For a town where the high school serves as a community anchor, the psychological wounds may prove as deep as the physical ones. Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka, who has called the town home for nearly two decades, broke down while speaking with media.

"I have lived here for 18 years. I probably know every one of the victims," Krakowka said, his voice cracking. "I don't call them residents. I call them family."

At the local recreation center, where families gathered awaiting news about their children, Reverend George Rowe of Tumbler Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church described wrenching scenes of parents still waiting to learn if their sons or daughters were among the dead.

"It was not a pretty sight," Rowe said. "Families are still waiting to hear if it's their child that's deceased, and because of protocol and procedure, the investigating team is very careful in releasing names. The big thing tonight was my having to walk away and the families still waiting to find out. It is so difficult."

Rowe, who once taught at the high school and saw all three of his own children graduate from its halls, added: "To walk through the corridors of that school will never be the same again."

National Response

The scale of the tragedy prompted swift national action. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took office just days ago, ordered flags flown at half-mast on all federal buildings for seven days — an official mourning period reflecting the magnitude of the loss.

"I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today," Carney said in a statement. "The violence we witnessed today is horrific. Our government is working to ensure the community is fully supported as best we can."

Federal opposition leader Pierre Poilievre posted on social media: "The nation mourns with you."

A Rare American-Style Tragedy

School shootings remain extraordinarily rare in Canada, where strict federal gun control laws stand in sharp contrast to the regulatory landscape south of the border. The country has experienced only a handful of fatal campus attacks in its modern history, making Tuesday's death toll particularly shocking.

The violence prompted immediate comparisons to the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, where a gunman killed 14 women in an anti-feminist attack — previously Canada's deadliest school shooting. Tuesday's casualties now rival or exceed that grim benchmark.

The school district announced that both Tumbler Ridge Secondary and the neighboring elementary school will remain closed for the remainder of the week as counselors and trauma specialists descend on the community.

For the families still awaiting confirmation of their loved ones' fates, and for a town that will forever be defined by this single afternoon of violence, the healing process has only just begun.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.