CTV NETWORK, FILE, CNN
By Lex Harvey, Max Saltman, Caitlin Danaher, Hira Humayun, Billy Stockwell, Christian Edwards, Catherine Nicholls, CNN
(CNN) — The tiny Canadian mountain town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, suffered one of the country’s worst school shootings in recent history on Tuesday, when an 18-year-old woman killed at least eight people and wounded dozens.
Police say they still don’t know the motive of the suspected shooter, who killed their mother and step-brother at a home before going to the school, but had previously dealt with them over mental health concerns.
Flags across Canada were lowered to half-staff on Wednesday, and Prime Minister Mark Carney and other national political figures paid their respects in Parliament with speeches and a moment of silence. British Columbia has declared Thursday a day of mourning.
Here’s what we know about the shooting, the alleged shooter, victims and the ongoing investigation.
Who are the victims?
A female teacher, three female students and two male students, and two relatives of the suspected shooter, were killed in the attack, police said Wednesday.
The three female students were aged 12 and the male students were 12 and 13, said Sergeant Vanessa Munn.
The two relatives found dead at the home were the suspected shooter’s mother and step-brother, police said.
The family of 12-year-old Kylie Smith, a Tumbler Ridge student, confirmed she was among those killed by her family. Her father, Lance Younge, told Canadian network CTV she was a “beautiful soul” and urged other parents to tell their kids “you love them every day.”
“Hold your kids tight, tell them you love them every day. You never know, you never know,” Younge told CTV, sobbing.
One of those seriously wounded was Maya Edmonds, 12, who is in a critical condition in Vancouver Children’s Hospital after being shot in the head and neck, according to a note from her mother on a GoFundMe page verified by CNN.
“My 12 year old daughter is fighting for her life while they try to repair the damage,” Maya’s mother Cia Edmonds wrote in an update, adding that she was clinging to a “shred of hope.”
The number of people killed in the massacre was revised down to eight on Wednesday, not including the shooter. Authorities initially said nine people were killed, but later said a seriously wounded person they thought had died had in fact survived.
Authorities have yet to confirm the identities of any of those killed or wounded.
Who is the alleged shooter?
Police identified the alleged shooter as Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old Tumbler Ridge woman who they said had dropped out of school approximately four years ago.
Police had visited Van Rootselaar’s “residence on multiple occasions over the past several years, dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect,” said McDonald, the deputy police commissioner.
The most recent police visit