‘Pray for my baby’: 12-year-old boy shot in head and neck fights for life after Canadian school shooting

For 12-year-old Maya Edmonds, Tuesday started like any other school day. By night she was in intensive care after being shot in the head and neck in a fatal attack at the school.Maya is currently receiving intensive care at Vancouver Children’s Hospital. Doctors are working to repair the damage caused by her injury, but her recovery timetable remains uncertain.“Today is like any other. Now my 12-year-old daughter is fighting for her life,” her mother wrote in a touching post on social media. “It doesn’t even feel real… I never thought I would ask for prayers, but please pray for my kids.”Maya was one of at least 25 people injured in the shooting at Tumbler Ridge High School. Police have confirmed eight people were killed in the attack.For her family, however, those numbers faded away with the image of their daughter lying in a hospital bed. A fundraising campaign set up by relatives has raised a huge amount of support to help pay for medical and travel costs so her mother can stay with her.

The suspect is dead and the motive is unknown

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the suspect was found dead at the school.Authorities have not publicly released the name. Police described the suspect as female and confirmed investigators were working to determine a motive behind the attack.Two more bodies were found at a nearby residence and are believed to be related to the suspects. Officials initially reported a higher death toll but later clarified that one victim survived with serious injuries and remained in serious condition.Investigators are examining whether there were warning signs or previous interactions that could reveal what led to the tragedy.

What Prime Minister Mark Carney said

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the nation, calling it “a very difficult day for the country.” “Parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters are going to wake up this morning without their loved ones,” he said, looking visibly shocked.Carney announced that flags on federal buildings will fly at half-mast for seven days and urged Canadians to unite in support of grieving communities.“We will get through this and we will learn from it. But now, it’s time to come together, grieve together and support each other,” he said.In the small but close-knit community of Tumbler Ridge, the tragedy has left many families devastated. But in a Vancouver hospital room, the focus remains on a 12-year-old girl whose fight for survival has become the most personal face of a national tragedy.