Source: Radio New Zealand
Canadian police responded to reports of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon (local time). Google Maps
Nine people have been killed in a secondary school shooting in the province of British Columbia.
Canadian police say a shooter has been found dead with what’s thought to be a self-inflicted injury.
In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they received an active shooter report at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School at approximately 1.20pm local time.
Police entered the school and found six deceased victims, and another died on the way to hospital.
“An individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self-inflicted injury,” Superintendent Ken Floyd, North District Commander, said.
He said in a press conference that police had determined the person’s identity, but were not releasing it at this time.
However, Floyd confirmed it’s the same person described in the active shooter alert sent to phones in the area during the shooting.
In the alert, police described the suspect as a woman in a dress with brown hair.
Police had identified a residence believed to be connected to the shooting, where two additional victims were located deceased.
Officers were conducting further searches of additional homes and properties to determine if anyone else was injured or linked to the shooting, police said.
Two people had serious injuries and another 25 were being assessed and triaged at the local medical centre for non-life threatening injuries.
Police said all remaining staff and students were safely evacuated from the school and a reunification process was underway for the school families.
The active shooter alert had been lifted by 5.45pm local time, because police “did not believe there were any outstanding suspects or ongoing threats to the public”.
Floyd said additional RCMP resources continued to be deployed into the community to support the response and investigation.
“This was a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation, and the swift cooperation from the school, first responders, and the community played a critical role in our response,” he said.
“Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones, and all those impacted by this tragic incident. This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional day for our community.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
