A shooting at a high school in the Canadian province of British Columbia left eight dead including the suspect, authorities said on Tuesday.
Two more people were found dead at a home believed to be connected to the incident, authorities added.
“As part of the initial response to the active shooting, police entered the school to locate the threat. During the search, officers located multiple victims. An individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self‑inflicted injury,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement.
Police described the shooter as a woman, an unusual development as mass shootings in North America are almost always carried out by men.
A police active shooter alert said the suspect was described “as female in a dress with brown hair.”
Six fatally shot at high school, two more dead at home
Six people, not including the suspect, were found at the school, the RCMP said. A seventh victim died while being transported to hospital.
More than 25 people were injured in the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. This included two people with serious or life-threatening injuries, who have been airlifted to hospital.
Police said that all remaining students and staff were safely evacuated and it did not believe there were any more suspects or ongoing threats to the public.
They received the report of the active shooting around 1:20 p.m. (20:20 UTC/GMT) local time on Tuesday, February 10.
Police say they will not release more information about suspect just yet
Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a statement of support for the affected families, saying he was “devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge.”
Larry Neufeld, the member of the legislature for Peace River South, told reporters at the legislature that an “excess” of resources, including RCMP and ambulance support, has been sent to the community.
He said he didn’t want to release any more information over concerns that it might jeopardize the safety of the ongoing operation.
Tumbler Ridge is a remote municipality with a population of around 2,400 people.
It is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) north of Vancouver, near the border with Alberta.
School shootings are rare in Canada. The shooting at Tumbler Ridge is the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history, according to Canadian national broadcaster CBC.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar