Ten dead after woman opens fire in British Columbia high school

Ten people, including the suspected shooter, have died after a woman opened fire at a high school in Tumbler Ridge, a small community in British Columbia, on Tuesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said six victims were found dead inside the school. Officers later discovered two more bodies at a residence believed to be linked to the incident, while another victim died en route to the hospital.

At least two people remain hospitalised with serious or life-threatening injuries, and up to 25 others are receiving treatment for non-life-threatening wounds.

Police said the suspected shooter — described as a woman wearing a dress with brown hair — was found dead inside the school from what appears to be a self-inflicted injury. Authorities added that they do not believe there are additional suspects or any ongoing threat to the public.

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Superintendent Ken Floyd told reporters that officers encountered “multiple injuries and multiple deceased” as they moved through the school. He described the scene as “very dramatic,” noting that some victims were still being treated and that the death toll could change as investigations continue.

Tumbler Ridge, located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains about 1,155 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, has a population of roughly 2,400 people.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed shock over the attack.

“I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones,” he wrote on X.

The attack ranks among Canada’s deadliest mass-casualty incidents in recent years. In April 2020, a gunman killed 22 people during a rampage in Nova Scotia before police shot him dead. In 1989, a gunman killed 14 women at École Polytechnique in Montreal in Canada’s worst school shooting.

Investigators have not yet disclosed a possible motive or confirmed how many of the victims were students.