British Columbia, Canada, is in shock after the horrific school shooting in Tumbler Ridge on February 10. Nine people were killed at their secondary school, and at least 25 others were injured. The shooter was going to be someone the media hates to cover: a member of the LGBT community. There was an inkling of this when Canadian police used the phrase ‘gunperson,’ which accompanied an update stating the shooter was a “woman wearing a dress.”
This network makes MSNBC look tame. https://t.co/oEe32GC35J
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) February 11, 2026
This was confirmed when Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, a transgender, was identified as the suspect. Van Rootselaar was also found dead at the scene. Now, the father has broken his silence about this heinous crime (via NY Post):
“I was estranged from Jesse Strang and was not part of his life,” he told the CBC in a statement, using the last name of the shooter’s mom, Jennifer Strang, who was among the eight shot dead Tuesday.
“His mother declined my involvement from the beginning, and I was not given the opportunity to be a part of raising him. Jesse did not use the [Van Rootselaar] family name at any point in his life,” he continued.
“While that distance is the reality of our relationship, it does not lessen the heartbreak I feel for the pain that has been caused to innocent people and to the town we call home,” the father added.
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As for Van Rootselaar’s mother, she was shot and killed, along with her stepson, by Jesse before venturing to the school. This home was known to the police, having been the center for mental health calls for years.
ABC shut off comments on post calling Canada school shooter a “woman” https://t.co/33BuHr4w8q
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 12, 2026
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