Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Tumbler Ridge high school student: ‘We got tables and barricaded the doors’
Darian Quist, a 12th grade student at Tumbler Ride secondary school, has spoken to CBC about the moment the shooting occurred.
According to Quist, moments after he got to his class at 1:30pm, an alarm went off with lockdown instructions to close the doors.
“We got tables and barricaded the doors” for over two hours, he said told CBC, adding that he was receiving photos on his phone from the scene.
He went on to say: “The reality of it all is starting to set in… I believe I knew somebody, but everything is still very fresh.”
Describing to CBC a situation that was “almost surreal,” Quist said: “It felt like I was somewhere that I had only seen across a TV.”
British Columbia premier David Eby has listed out support lines to those affected by the shooting in Tumbler Ridge.
Writing on X, Eby said:
All of BC is wrapping the families of Tumbler Ridge with love.
Supports are available:
BC Mental Health Support Line: 310-6789
Kids Help Phone: Text ‘CONNECT’ to 686868
Thank you to the emergency responders on the ground for the work they are doing.”
More than two dozen victims have been hospitalised in what premier David Eby called an ‘unimaginable tragedy’ that ranks among the deadliest events of its kind in Canadian history.
Canadian police give update after deadly school shooting in British Columbia – videoShare
Victoria police has also responded to the shooting, saying in a statement online:
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge.
VicPD extends our heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who were injured, and to the entire Tumbler Ridge community as they navigate this unimaginable loss. Our thoughts are also with the students, educators, and first responders who have been profoundly impacted.
In moments like this, communities across British Columbia stand together and share in the grief.”
ShareTumbler Ridge shooting one of the worst in Canadian history
Leyland Cecco
Even with the scant information provided by police, the shooting is one of the worst in Canadian history.
Because of Canada’s strict gun laws, which make it difficult to own both handguns or “assault-style weapons”, the country has experienced far fewer instances of mass violence compared with the United States.
Still, the shooting is the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. In 1989, a gunman killed 14 students at Montreal’s L’Ecole Polytechnique in an attack that targeted women. In 2016, five people were killed in a series in La Loche, Saskatchewan.
ShareMark Carney cancels planned trip to Munich security conference
Jonathan Yerushalmy
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has cancelled a planned trip to the Munich security conference, due to the school shooting in Tumbler Ridge.
Carney was set to travel to Germany on Wednesday, but has suspended the trip along with plans to announce a new Defence Industrial Strategy in Halifax, according to his office.
In a post online, the Canadian prime minister said he was “devastated” by the shooting.
“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens.”
Eby, upon being asked whether he has any details about the weapon involved, said he does not have any details yet from Canadian police.
Eby also said that he plans to visit Tumbler Ridge “as quickly as possible” to provide support to the families and friends of victims.
Eby said that he understands that police were “on scene within 2 minutes,” a response time which prevented the tragedy for becoming “significantly worse.”
He added that he is grateful that police “responded so quickly and fearlessly.”
British Columbia premier David Eby said that he has spoken with Canadian premier Mark Carney about the Tumbler Ridge shooting.
He added Carney has “conveyed the grief and devastation that he feels about what the people of Tumbler Ridge are facing,” and that Carney has offered federal assistance and is “committed to support British Columbians in this moment.”
ShareTumbler Ridge mayor: ‘I will know every victim…we’re a small community’
Tumbler Ridge mayor Darryl Krakowka said that he “will know every victim,” adding: ‘I’ve been here 19 years and we’re a small community.”
Speaking to CBC after sheltering in place at the district’s town hall, Krakowka said: “I don’t call them residents. I call them family.”
We are not getting many images from the scene coming through, but Google Maps has this image of Tumbler Ridge high school:
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School Photograph: Google MapsShare
Updated at 23.12 EST
Mark Carney: ‘I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings’
Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney has called the Tumbler Ridge shooting in British Columbia “horrific,” saying that he is “devastated” and is offering his “prayers and deepest condolences” to the families and friends of victims involved in the attack.
He went on to say:
“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens.
Our ability to come together in crisis is the best of our country — our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other.
I have connected with Premier Eby to express my condolences, and with the Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, who is coordinating the federal response.
Our officials are in close contact with their counterparts to ensure the community is fully supported as best we can. The Government of Canada stands with all British Columbians as they confront this horrible tragedy.”
The leader of Canada’s Conservative party, Pierre Poilievre, has also issued his condolences towards victims involved in the Tumbler Ridge, saying:
“Devastated to hear of the many innocent people murdered and injured in a senseless act of violence at a local high school in Tumbler Ridge.
Our prayers are with the families, students, teachers, first responders, and the entire community grieving this profound loss.”
Larry Brock, the shadow minister for justice and the Canada’s attorney general, has issued a statement following the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, saying:
My prayers are with the families, students, educators, and entire community of Tumbler Ridge as they grieve this unthinkable tragedy.
Thank you to the first responders and RCMP who faced an unimaginable situation today. We are grateful for their dedication to the safety of the community.
As we mourn the innocent lives lost, I send my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected.”
We are currently on standby for a press conference by British Columbia premier David Eby.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates.
David Eby, the premier of British Columbia, has released a statement following the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, saying:
“Our hearts are in Tumbler Ridge tonight with the families of those who have lost loved ones.
Government will ensure every possible support for community members in the coming days, as we all try to come to terms with this unimaginable tragedy.”
ShareJonathan Yerushalmy
The town of Tumbler Ridge, which has a population of about 2,400 people, is more than 1,000km north of Vancouver, near the border with Alberta.
Located in British Columbia, the town is a former coal mining community which saw a boom during the 1970s, and again more recently when mining returned.
The town markets itself as a land of “dinosaurs and waterfalls”, and is the site of a Unesco area of internationally significant geology, geography, or human history, according to CBC.
School shootings are rare in Canada and Tumbler Ridge secondary school has more than 160 students, according to its website.
Updated at 22.29 EST