An attacker opened fire on a Canadian school on Tuesday, killing ten people, including the gunman, in one of the worst mass casualty incidents in the country’s recent history. The attack, in which a female gunman was responsible, brought Canada to a scene of mass shootings more common in neighboring the United States, police said. Six people were found dead at a high school in Table Ridge, B.C., and two others were found dead at a residence believed to be involved in the incident, RCMP said. Another person died on the way to hospital. At least two other people were taken to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said. “This is a situation you really don’t want to face again… what I saw was devastating, with many parents just waiting to hear whether their children survived the shooting,” said local pastor George Rowe. He said on Wednesday that police would only identify the victim once they had “absolute, clear identification.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his condolences. “I am horrified by today’s horrific shooting in Tableau Ridge, British Columbia, and I send my prayers and deepest condolences to the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence.” Details of the shooter have not yet been released A suspected shooter was also found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said, adding they did not believe there were additional suspects or an ongoing threat. Police have released few details about the shooter, saying only that the person is described as a female — an unusual development since mass shootings in North America are almost always carried out by men. Gun laws are stricter than in the US Canada’s gun laws are stricter than those in the United States, but Canadians can own firearms with a license. Since 2020, the Trudeau government has implemented a number of restrictions on handgun ownership and assault weapons, in part in response to mass shootings in Nova Scotia and the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. However, attempts to ban certain types of rifles and shotguns were abandoned amid opposition from farmers and hunters. The Tumbler Ridge shooting is Canada’s third-deadliest mass shooting, behind a 1996 shooting in Vernon, British Columbia that left 10 people dead. In April 2020, a 51-year-old man disguised himself and carried out a 13-hour riot in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia, killing 22 people before being shot dead by police. In 1989, a gunman killed 14 female students in Montreal, injured 13 others, and then committed suicide. Reuters
