The Tumbler Ridge, BC Shooting

The Canadian Gothic

Curiouscast

History, Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2026

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On February 10, 2026, Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia became the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history when 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed their mother and half-brother at home, then went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where they murdered five children and an educational assistant before taking their own life. In this episode of The Canadian Gothic, we walk through the timeline of the attacks, the history of family at the heart of this story, and the many unanswered questions surrounding warning signs, access to weapons, and mental-health support in remote Canadian communities. Send a voicememo to the show: https://www.thecanadiangothic.com/contact Subscribe to the show: https://www.thecanadiangothic.com/subscribe Musical Theme: Noir Toyko by Monty Datta Social Links: Website: https://www.thecanadiangothic.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCanadianGothic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecanadiangothic/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You can listen to the Canadian Gothic early and ad-free on Amazon music.
0:05.5	Include it with Prime.
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0:11.2	The end of the world continues with season two of the global phenomenon, Fallout, included with Prime.
0:17.7	I defer to you about what to do in this situation.
0:19.9	Bring home the epic conclusion to the
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0:34.0	banner to find out more.
0:42.0	So at this point, the public's still being told to stay in place and lock their doors.
0:46.6	RCMP responded to calls of shots fired. This was at Tumblr Ridge Secondary School.
0:52.0	Let me just read again. Part of this statement from the District of Tumbler Ridge says its community has experienced a deeply distressing incident.
0:56.1	We know this will be difficult for many to process. Please check in on one another and know
1:02.0	that Tumblr Ridge is a strong and caring community. We will get through this. You were listening
1:07.4	to Canadian Gothic.
1:17.3	I think anyone who follows the Canadian or even the international news probably knows by now.
1:21.9	Something horrible happened in a small town in British Columbia just last week.
1:25.4	Before we get into the story, I want to start here with a bit of context.
1:28.4	People often view the school shooter phenomenon as a uniquely American tragedy. And yes, statistics do show that the overwhelming majority of
1:34.4	these events happen in the U.S. Since the year 2000, the United States has suffered through over
1:39.4	600 events of gun violence on school grounds. In that same period of time, Canada had less than 30.
1:46.9	Tragic events at American schools like Yuvaldi, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and Columbine come front
	...

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