We are learning more about the guns used in the deadly Tumbler Ridge shooting earlier this week.
Dept. Comm. Dwayne McDonald, BC RCMP commanding officer said at a press conference on Friday afternoon that the investigation has prioritized two firearms that were located at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School following the shooting on Tuesday afternoon.
He said two firearms were found at the school and two were found at the home of the shooter, identified as 18-year-old Jesse VanRootselaar.
McDonald said the four firearms were connected with the shooting at the home, where VanRootselaar’s mother and stepbrother were killed, and then the shooting at the school where five students and an education assistant were killed.
“The main firearm, believed to be the one that caused the most significant damage, its origins are unknown,” said McDonald.
“It’s never been in previous RCMP control. Never been seized by us. We’re trying to determine how our suspect got that firearm. And that investigation is continuing of the firearms and the residence. The shotgun is an unregistered weapon, and has never been previously seized by us.”
McDonald said the two firearms seized from the school were a long gun and a rifle, which had been modified and a shotgun and a number of other firearms were seized at the home.
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Earlier in the week, McDonald said that the shooter had previous interactions with police.
“Police have attended that residence in the past, approximately a couple of years ago, where firearms were seized under the criminal code,” he said.
“I can say that at a later point in time, the lawful owner of those firearms petitioned for those firearms to be returned and they were.”
McDonald also said they do not believe any of the victims were targeted.
“This, suspect, was, for lack of a better term, hunting,” he said.
“They were prepared and engaging anybody in, everybody they could come in contact with.”
This update comes as the small community continues to grapple with the devastating events of the past week.
A vigil involving the Prime Minister, B.C.’s premier and politicians from around the province is set to take place on Friday evening.
Eight people were killed when a person opened fire at a home and at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
The victims have been identified as five students, an education assistant, the shooter’s mother, stepbrother and the shooter herself.
The students included 12-year-old Kylie May Smith, 12-year-old Ticaria Lampert, 12-year-old Zoey Benoit, 39-year-old education assistant Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 12-year-old Abel Mwansa, 12-year-old Ezekiel Schofield, 39-year-old Jennifer Strang (Jacobs) and 11-year-old Emmett Jacobs.
RCMP said on Friday that autopsies on the eight victims are expected to be complete by the end of the weekend.
Two surviving victims remain in the hospital.
About 25 other people were injured in the shooting and were treated locally.
So far, officers have interviewed more than 80 students, educators, and first responders, RCMP said.
The biological father of the shooter issued a statement on Thursday, saying, “To the families who have lost loved ones, and to every person who has been affected by this senseless and unforgivable act of violence, I offer my most heartfelt condolences. I cannot begin to imagine the depth of your grief.”
As of Friday, Feb. 13, officers and Forensic Identification Services are continuing to process two scenes, at the school and the home, police said. A vehicle connected to the suspect, which is located outside the school, is also being processed.
It is expected that forensic work underway at Tumbler Ridge Secondary will continue through the weekend and the home could be finished by Saturday, police confirmed.
The BC RCMP has also launched an online portal to streamline the collection of additional evidence.
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