Police don't know origin of main gun used in Tumbler Ridge shooting

Origin of guns unknown

Photo: The Canadian Press

Police tape surrounds a school in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

RCMP in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., say they don't know where the primary gun used in a mass school shooting earlier this week came from.

They say the attacker, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, used an unregistered shotgun to kill two family members — mother and sibling — at their home before using different firearms at the school.

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald says a shotgun was the main firearm used in the mass shooting at the school and it had never been seized by the RCMP.

McDonald says they don't know the origin of the shotgun and police are trying to identify its owner and the source of all four firearms used in both locations.

Earlier this week, McDonald had said they seized guns from the family home of the shooter "a couple years ago," but the legal owner of the guns petitioned for their return. McDonald did not elaborate and said the details of that firearm return are sealed.

He says investigators believe the killer was not specifically targeting people, but was instead "for lack of a better term, hunting," victims.

McDonald says the killer was prepared and engaging anybody and everybody they could come in contact with.

He described a chaotic scene for arriving police officers.

Fire alarms were going off and someone shouted out a window to officers: "the suspect is upstairs."

"They entered the school, immediately went to the stairwell, proceeded to go up the stairwell, and were met with gunfire inside the school," RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald told reporters outside the community's town hall Friday.

In just seconds, there was more gunfire, but it was the killer committing suicide.

"I can say with confidence that from the moment the suspect encountered police, there were no further injuries to any other students in the school."

But by that time on Tuesday afternoon, six people — five children aged 12 and 13 and an education assistant — were dead at the school in addition to Van Rootselaar's mother and sibling at home.

Police said forensic work is underway at Tumbler Ridge Secondary school and would continue through the weekend. Work at the home could be finished by Saturday.

Autopsies on the eight victims and the shooter are expected to be completed by the end of the weekend.

McDonald said two children seriously injured at the school remain in hospital.

Police said officers have so far interviewed more than 80 students, educators and first responders.

An updated statement released by police on Friday is here in full.

with files from Colin Dacre, Castanet News