Canada school shooting | Who was Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18-year-old transwoman, identified as suspect

Too early to speculate on motive, say police; suspect had mental health issues and first killed her mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at the family home

An 18-year-old transwoman has been named as a suspect in the Tumbler Ridge shooting that killed nine and injured multiple others in British Columbia, Canada.

The police identified the suspect as Jesse Van Rootselaar who died by suicide after the shooting on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report.

Who was Jesse Van Rootselaar?

Van Rootselaar was biologically a male and started identifying as female from past six years. She was apprehended under the provincial Mental Health Act for an assessment, according to Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, commander of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia. 

He said, “The police had attended that (family) residence on multiple occasions over the past several years, dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect."

McDonald added that Van Rootselaar first killed her mother, 39, and 11-year-old stepbrother at the family home. She then went to the school, where she shot a 39-year-old woman teacher as well as three 12-year-old female students and ⁠two male students, ‌one aged 12 and the other 13.

"We do believe the suspect acted alone ... it would be too early to speculate on motive," he said.

The officer also added that the suspect's previously had a firearms licence which expired in 2024.

In Canada, individuals in the age group of 12 and 17 can obtain a minor's firearms licence upon taking a firearms safety course and passing tests.