CANADA – The transgender gunman, who murdered his mother and brother before killing six people in the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history, is seen happily gripping an assault rifle in a disturbing photo.
Jesse van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon.
A female teacher was killed, alongside three girls and two boys aged between 13 and 17. The shooter took his own life at the school. He killed his mother, Jennifer and brother, Emmett, at their home beforehand, CTV News reported.
Photos show the teen looking somber at a birthday celebration and eating a meal with family – but then happily holding up an assault rifle.
Van Rootselaar was understood to have used his mother’s name, Strang, socially and at school. He was named by Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Wednesday and described as a woman.
The RCMP explained that Jesse began identifying as female six years ago, aged 12, and said there had been multiple call-outs to his home related to his mental health over the years. Van Rootselaar, who stopped attending school four years ago at the age of 14, even had to be ‘apprehended for assessment’ under the country’s mental health act at one point. ‘‘Police have attended that residence in the past, approximately a couple of years ago, where firearms were seized under the Criminal Code,’’ said Dwayne McDonald, Deputy Commissioner of British Columbia RCMP.
‘‘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.’’
Jennifer did not have a valid license for firearms at the time of her death.
Sources told the Daily Mail that Van Rootselaar lived at the home with three relatives.
Those who knew Van Rootselaar said the gunman was a ‘quiet kid’ who was often seen ‘sitting by himself in the corner’.
Liam Irving said Van Rootselaar’s mother and younger brother were well known in the Tumbler Ridge community and were ‘good friends’ of his family.
‘There’s not one person in this town right now that’s not affected by this,’ he told the Western Standard.
A parent whose son attends the school also said his child knew the alleged shooter and played sports with Van Rootselaar’s sister.
His son was at the academic institution on Tuesday when Van Rootselaar carried out the deadly massacre. He is now ‘afraid to go back to school’, his father added. A total of 25 people were injured in the massacre on Tuesday.
Maya Gebala, 12, was shot in the neck and head and is not expected to survive the night. She is the only injured victim named so far.
The girl’s family has said she was hit by shrapnel during the shooting but it was unknown how she was hit and how much damage was done.
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