Tumbler Ridge School Shooting: Court Documents Reveal New Details

Court documents related to the mass shooting at a school in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., in February have been made public, shedding new light on the mental state of 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar and confusion during the initial police response.

The documents, released to a media outlet by a B.C. Provincial Court judge, indicate that Van Rootselaar was struggling with his mental health and had a strong interest in firearms.

According to the report, the RCMP initially believed there could be two shooters after witnesses provided different names for the suspect. Police later determined that there was only one gunman.

On Feb. 10, police first received a report about an SUV being driven recklessly away from Van Rootselaar’s home. The RCMP then received another 911 call reporting two bodies on the floor inside the residence, along with spent shotgun shells.

Soon afterward, police began receiving multiple calls reporting gunshots at the secondary school. Officers arriving at the scene found a green SUV outside with its engine running and the driver’s door partially open.

Some of the timelines between these events have been redacted from the court documents. However, the documents reveal that the shooting at the school was captured on CCTV.

The newly released records provide additional details about the sequence of events and the challenges police faced while responding to the deadly shooting.