Police say the suspected shooter died at the school as investigators work to identify victims and a motive.
TUMBLER RIDGE, British Columbia — A shooting at a high school in this remote mountain town left 10 people dead, including the suspected shooter, and more than 25 others injured on Tuesday, authorities said, as parents waited for word outside the school and police searched a nearby home tied to the attack.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said officers received a report of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School around 1:20 p.m. A police public alert warned residents to stay away from the area while teams moved through the building and secured the scene. By early evening, police canceled the alert and said they did not believe any suspect remained at large, but investigators still faced urgent questions about who was targeted and why.
Police said they found several victims inside the school and later located additional bodies at a residence they believe is connected to the violence. A person police believe carried out the attack was found dead at the school from what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury. Officials did not immediately release the suspect’s name, say what weapon was used, or describe any known relationship between the suspect and the victims.
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School serves roughly 160 to 175 students in grades seven through 12, according to government and district information. The shooting shook a community of about 2,500 to 2,700 people set in northeastern British Columbia near the Alberta border, more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) north of Vancouver. By late Tuesday, the campus and nearby streets filled with emergency vehicles as officers escorted groups of students to safety and reunification points.
The RCMP said six people were found dead inside the school. Another person died while being taken to a hospital, police said. Two others were found dead at a nearby home that investigators believe is linked to the school attack. Police said the suspected shooter was also found dead at the school. Authorities said more than 25 people were injured, including two who were airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Hospitals in the region received patients with a range of wounds as officials worked to account for students and staff.
The police response unfolded over hours. After receiving the initial report at about 1:20 p.m., the RCMP issued a police-initiated public alert as officers responded. The alert remained in effect while police cleared the school, searched rooms, and secured surrounding areas. The RCMP said the alert was officially canceled at 5:45 p.m. once officers determined there was no ongoing threat to the public and no outstanding suspect.
British Columbia Premier David Eby called the shootings “an unimaginable tragedy” and said the province would support the community as it began to grieve. Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was devastated by the violence and offered condolences to families and friends of those killed, while also thanking first responders who rushed to the scene. Local officials said support teams and counselors would be available as the town tried to process what happened in a place where many families know each other across generations.
Investigators began the slow work of building a case file from a chaotic afternoon. Police said they would rely on witness interviews, surveillance video, and forensic evidence from both the school and the connected residence. Officers also sought to reconstruct the timeline of the suspect’s movements, determine how the suspect entered the school, and establish where the first shots were fired. Authorities did not say whether the violence began at the school or the home, and they did not describe any calls to police from the residence before the school report came in.
Police also faced pressure to confirm the identities and ages of the victims. The school’s student body spans early adolescence through the teen years, and officials urged caution as rumors spread on social media and through messaging apps. The RCMP said it would release names only after families received official notifications. Investigators also planned autopsies and formal identifications as part of the process, along with ballistics work to match bullets and casings to the weapon used.
The attack ranks among Canada’s deadliest incidents involving a school in decades and stood out in a country where mass school shootings remain rare. The country has tightened firearm rules over recent years, including measures aimed at limiting access to certain weapons. Even so, the violence in Tumbler Ridge prompted renewed questions from lawmakers and community leaders about how such an attack could unfold in a small town and what warning signs, if any, were missed.
Mayor Darryl Krakowka said the town was grieving and praised the work of emergency crews who converged on the school. Outside the campus, parents clustered in the cold, swapping incomplete information and scanning for updates as police controlled access to the area. Some residents said they felt the town’s size made the pain sharper, because everyone seemed connected to the school as a student, parent, graduate, or neighbor.
School officials closed the secondary school for the rest of the week, and community services prepared spaces for counseling and memorial gatherings. Police said investigators would remain in the area for days, processing scenes and collecting evidence, and they asked the public to share any photos or video that might help establish the suspect’s route and actions. Authorities also warned that details could change as counts were verified and hospitals updated the conditions of the injured.
As of Wednesday, officials had not announced a motive, released the suspect’s identity, or said when they would provide a full briefing on the case. Police said their next step was to complete victim notifications and continue forensic work at the school and the connected home.
Author note: Last updated February 11, 2026.