One of the deadliest mass shootings in Canada’s modern history has left nine people dead and at least 25 injured in the rural community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said officers responded to reports of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School at approximately 13:20 local time on Tuesday. Within minutes, police issued a shelter-in-place alert for the town and surrounding area, urging residents to lock their doors and remain indoors.
Authorities say the suspect was found dead inside the school from what investigators described as a self-inflicted injury. The identity of the suspect has not yet been publicly released, though police confirmed they know who the individual is. An earlier emergency alert described the suspect as a “female in a dress with brown hair,” but officials have not confirmed further details.
🚨 BREAKING: 10 people are dead, 25 injured after a “woman wearing a dress” opened fire on a school in British Columbia, Canada
Local police are referring to the shooter as a “gunperson.”
Yeah, we all know this is yet another trans mass shooter. pic.twitter.com/McA9C0nmcc
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 11, 2026
According to the RCMP, six victims were found deceased inside the school. A third victim died while being transported to hospital, and two others were located dead at a nearby residence believed to be connected to the incident. Two critically injured victims were airlifted for emergency treatment, while approximately 25 others were assessed locally for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said they are continuing to search additional homes and properties to determine whether more victims are involved. Investigators are also working to establish the suspect’s motive and whether there was a direct connection to the school.
Tumbler Ridge, a community of roughly 2,400 residents located about 670 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, is known for its coal mining industry and tourism centered on dinosaur fossil discoveries. The secondary school serves approximately 160 students in Grades 7 through 12.
British Columbia’s Minister of Public Safety said officers arrived within two minutes of receiving the emergency call, a response she said “no doubt” saved lives.
Students described chaotic scenes. Grade 12 student Darian Quist told CBC that shortly after arriving in class, an alarm instructed students to lock down. He and classmates barricaded their classroom door with tables and remained inside for more than two hours until police escorted them out.
The shooter was reportedly a mentally ill male who identified as trans and pretended to be a girl
Police didn’t want to offend him by “misgendering” him so they called him a “gunperson”
Pure insanity https://t.co/F7Tyg4MbD5 pic.twitter.com/lRA7cYLSLe
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 11, 2026
His mother, Shelley Quist, said she heard reports over her phone of officers entering classrooms and rushed to the nearby community centre to reunite with her son.
Community leaders expressed profound shock. Mayor Darryl Krakowka described Tumbler Ridge as a tight-knit town where residents know one another well. “I will know every victim,” he said. “I don’t call them residents. I call them family.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby called the shooting “a devastating and unimaginable tragedy.” Prime Minister Mark Carney canceled a planned trip abroad in response to the attack.
For a town where, as one councillor put it, “we don’t lock our doors,” the violence has left deep emotional scars. As investigators continue their work, Tumbler Ridge faces the painful task of grieving together in a place where tragedy of this scale was once unthinkable.
