The suspect in a deadly school shooting in western Canada was an 18-year-old woman with mental health issues who killed her mother and stepbrother before attacking her former school, police said on Wednesday, but investigators did not offer a motive for one of the worst mass slaughters in Canadian history. Police revised the death toll down to nine, including Van Rootselaar, from the initially reported 10. ADVERTISEMENTOn more than one occasion, Van Rootselaar had been apprehended under the provincial Mental Health Act for an assessment, said Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, commander of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia. Unlike the United States, school shootings are almost unheard of in Canada, and federal politicians initially struggled to maintain their composure. Van Rootselaar previously had a firearms license, but it expired in 2024.

Source: The Telegraph February 12, 2026 04:41 UTC