Eighteen-year-old Jesse Van Rutselaar has been identified as the suspect behind the Tumbler Ridge shootings in Canada, which killed nine people, including the gunman. As Canada continues to recover from this mass shooting, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has shared new information about the attack and the suspect.
The six people killed in the school shooting were a 39-year-old teacher, three 12-year-old girls, a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy. (Reuters)The 18-year-old suspect is also transgender. According to police officials, Jessie was assigned male at birth, but began transitioning to female about six years ago.
Speaking at a press conference, RCMP said Van Rutselaar first shot his mother and half-brother at their residence before going to the school to carry out the attack.
The suspect’s mother, Jennifer Strang, 39, and her 11-year-old half-brother were found by a neighbor who responded to “calls for help,” CBC Canada reported.
At Tumbler Ridge Middle School, Van Rutselaer killed six more and injured more than 25 others. The six people killed in the school shooting were a 39-year-old teacher, three 12-year-old girls, a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy.
According to RCMP, one student victim was found in a stairwell and the others were found in the school library. After the rampage, the suspect turned the gun on himself, taking his own life.
Mental health issues, ‘nomadic life’ and interest in weaponsAccording to police officials, Van Rutselaar had a history of mental health issues, as revealed in previous police inspection records.
Furthermore, according to a 2015 ruling by the British Columbia Supreme Court, the Strang family and children lead an almost “nomadic life”.
“These children have led an almost nomadic life, from what I’m told, moving between Newfoundland, Grand Cache and Powell River over the last five years,” Justice Anthony Sander wrote in a ruling that ordered Jennifer Strang to give her children telephone access to their father.
A few years after the ruling, a Facebook post from 2021 is also in the office, suggesting the suspect had developed an interest in weapons and hunting.
“Check out my oldest son Jesse Strang’s YouTube channel. He posts about hunting, self-reliance, guns and whatever else he likes to do,” read the post, which links to the now-deleted YouTube channel.
“She doesn’t go on other social media so this is her way of sharing her life,” added Van Rutselaer’s post before the change.
Despite the history, police are still investigating the motive behind the attack.
