Ticaria “Tiki” Addinaiya Lampert was a blazing light, a 12-year-old girl full of laughter, fire, and sunshine, who was just two months shy of her 13th birthday. Known to her family as "Tiki" or her "Tiki torch," she was remembered by her mother, Sarah Lampert, as a strong-willed, fearless, and outspoken girl who loved to make people laugh. Ticaria had a "Santa's sack of every bad dad joke you could think of" and found joy in making others' stomachs hurt from laughter.
A student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, she was described as the "glue" in her large family, a bridge between her seven siblings who could be mature with her older sisters or "a Tarzan with her wild little siblings." Her mother called her a "family hero" and said Ticaria was "whoever and whatever someone needed." Content to live in the moment, Ticaria was in no hurry to grow up; her mother lovingly called her "my forever baby."
The ordinary routine of the small mining town of Tumbler Ridge was shattered on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 10, 2026. That day, 18-year-old former student Jesse Van Rootselaar carried out a planned attack that began at home and ended at the local high school. After fatally shooting her mother, Jennifer Strang (legally Jacobs), and 11-year-old half-brother, Emmett Jacobs, Van Rootselaar drove to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Around 2:20 p.m., the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received reports of an active shooter at the school. Inside, students and staff went into lockdown, barricading doors with tables as gunshots rang out. Van Rootselaar, armed with a long gun and a modified rifle, moved through the school, killing a victim in a stairwell before killing five more people in the library. Ticaria Lampert was one of the students killed in the attack.
In total, six people lost their lives at the school: Ticaria and fellow 12-year-old students Zoey Benoit and Kylie Smith; 13-year-old Ezekiel Schofield; 12-year-old Abel Mwansa; and 39-year-old educational assistant Shannda Aviugana-Durand. The attack, which also left 27 people injured, was one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history. Two injured students were airlifted to hospitals in serious condition. The rampage ended when Van Rootselaar fatally shot herself as police officers arrived and closed in.
The investigation by the BC RCMP revealed the shooter had a history of mental health contacts with police. It was also discovered that firearms had previously been seized from the shooter's home but were later returned to their lawful owner. In the months leading up to the attack, Van Rootselaar had allegedly been stockpiling weapons stolen from a family gun safe. The investigation took a significant turn in October 2026, when a 30-year-old U.S. citizen, James Cody Bryant of Washington state, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country. According to U.S. court filings, Bryant and Van Rootselaar met online and communicated for months, with Bryant allegedly providing advice, sending money for an explosive device, and agreeing to handle the livestreaming of the attack just minutes before it began. Bryant pleaded not guilty in a Seattle court in October 2026, with a trial scheduled for December.
In the days following the tragedy, the small, tight-knit community of Tumbler Ridge was enveloped in grief. A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles, and photos grew as residents mourned the profound loss. Sarah Lampert, speaking to reporters with a trembling voice, shared memories of her daughter, a "strong voice that was silenced." "Our family is shattered," she said. "To accept that my daughter is gone is impossible." A GoFundMe campaign was established to help Ticaria's single mother and seven siblings with funeral costs.
The families of the victims filed more than thirty lawsuits against OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, alleging the shooting could have been prevented, after an investigation found Van Rootselaar's account had been banned in June 2025 for making violent queries. As of October 2026, the case against the alleged co-conspirator was proceeding through the U.S. court system. The community of Tumbler Ridge continues to navigate the long journey of healing from a day of unimaginable violence that took the lives of so many, including a funny, feisty, and loving 12-year-old girl who was a blazing light to all who knew her.
