Jesse Van Rootselaar and the 2026 Tumbler Ridge Mass Shooting
Overview
On the afternoon of February 10, 2026, the small mining town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, became the scene of one of Canada's deadliest mass shootings. Eighteen-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a former student with a history of mental health issues, began a rampage by killing her mother and 11-year-old half-brother at their home. She then drove to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she opened fire, killing five students and an educational assistant and injuring 27 others before taking her own life.
The attack, which lasted only minutes, sent shockwaves through the remote community of about 2,400 people. An investigation revealed a troubled history and a series of warning signs, including concerning online activity and a co-conspirator in the United States who encouraged the attack. The incident was the deadliest school shooting in Canada since 1989 and prompted numerous lawsuits and a cross-border criminal investigation.
The Perpetrator
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, was a resident of Tumbler Ridge who had dropped out of the secondary school four years prior to the attack. Born on August 4, 2007, she was identified by police as a transgender woman. She had a history of interactions with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) related to mental health crises. Years before the shooting, she had been hospitalized under the Mental Health Act after an episode where she attempted to set her family's home on fire. At that time, she claimed to be receiving treatment for ADHD and OCD. Police had also previously seized firearms from the home, but they were returned to the lawful owner about a month before the shooting after a petition was filed.
Van Rootselaar's online presence was filled with red flags. She was fixated on mass shootings and reposted videos of other transgender mass shooters on her TikTok account. Her YouTube channel, which her mother had once promoted, focused on "hunting, self-reliance, and guns." She created a mall shooting simulator game on Roblox and posted videos of herself at a shooting range.
Seven months before the attack, in June 2025, a ChatGPT account owned by Van Rootselaar was banned by its parent company, OpenAI, for making violent queries that described scenarios involving gun violence. Though some staff members reportedly argued for alerting law enforcement, the company decided against it, stating the usage did not meet its threshold of a credible or imminent threat. This decision later led to more than thirty lawsuits filed by victims' families and the province of British Columbia against OpenAI.
A Digital Co-Conspirator
Investigations after the shooting uncovered Van Rootselaar's extensive communication with James Cody Bryant, a 30-year-old resident of Bellingham, Washington. The two had met online years earlier on the video chat platform Omegle and communicated daily via Discord in the six months leading up to the attack.
According to U.S. federal prosecutors, Bryant encouraged and enabled Van Rootselaar's plans. He allegedly offered tactical advice, suggesting a grocery store or church as a target instead of a school to avoid young victims, and discussed the best places to shoot to maximize casualties. Bryant also allegedly sent her money for new shoes and a lighter for an improvised explosive device. He agreed to livestream the attack to give it maximum exposure and helped her conduct a test run of the equipment.
On the day of the shooting, Van Rootselaar messaged Bryant after killing her family members. When she had trouble starting the car to drive to the school, Bryant allegedly walked her through the steps. Despite having multiple opportunities and even discussing the possibility of alerting authorities with Van Rootselaar, Bryant chose not to. In October 2026, he was arrested and charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country.
The Attacks
The violence began on the afternoon of February 10, 2026, at the family home on Fellers Avenue. Using a Canuck shotgun, Van Rootselaar shot and killed her 39-year-old mother, Jennifer Jacobs, and her 11-year-old half-brother, Emmett Jacobs. Her younger, 8-year-old half-brother survived and alerted a neighbor, who called the police.
After killing her family, Van Rootselaar struggled to start the family car. After receiving instructions from Bryant, she managed to drive the 1.5 kilometers to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, crashing into a snowbank along the way.
At approximately 2:20 p.m., she entered her former school armed with a long gun and a modified rifle. She immediately began shooting, first killing a victim in a stairwell before moving into the school's library. An alarm sounded, and the school went into lockdown, with students and teachers barricading doors with tables. A student in the gym reported hearing a dozen shots in quick succession. Police said Van Rootselaar did not appear to be targeting specific individuals but was "hunting" and prepared to engage anyone she encountered.
Police Response and Aftermath
The first RCMP officers arrived at the school within two minutes of the initial 911 call. As they approached, Van Rootselaar fired in their direction. The officers entered the school to confront the threat. Minutes later, they found Van Rootselaar deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police recovered the two firearms at the scene.
At 3:15 p.m., an Alert Ready emergency alert was sent to residents in the region, warning of an active shooter and advising them to shelter in place. The alert was canceled at 6:45 p.m. once police were certain there was no ongoing threat.
In the aftermath, first responders evacuated over 100 students and faculty from the school. Twenty-seven people were treated for injuries, many of which were not gunshot wounds but were sustained in the chaos. Two victims with serious injuries were airlifted to hospitals in Vancouver. One, a 19-year-old woman, was released within a week. The other, a 12-year-old girl who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, sustained a catastrophic brain injury resulting in permanent disabilities.
The Victims
The rampage left eight innocent people dead, in addition to the perpetrator. The community mourned the loss of children, a mother, and a beloved educator.
At the family home:
- Jennifer Jacobs, 39 — The perpetrator's mother.
- Emmett Jacobs, 11 — The perpetrator's half-brother.
At Tumbler Ridge Secondary School:
- Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39 — An educational assistant at the school.
- Ezekiel Schofield, 13 — A student at the school.
- Abel Mwansa, 12 — A student at the school.
- Kylie Smith, 12 — A student described by her family as the light of their lives, a talented artist who dreamed of going to art school.
- Zoey Benoit, 12 — Remembered by her family as a resilient, vibrant, and caring girl who brought laughter and smiles to everyone.
- Ticaria Lampert, 12 — A student at the school.
Investigation and Legal Outcome
The RCMP launched a major investigation to piece together the events and determine a motive, though none has ever been officially established. Investigators determined Van Rootselaar acted alone at the scene but had significant encouragement from her online contact.
In October 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of James Cody Bryant in Washington state. He was charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country, a crime that carries a potential sentence of life in prison. Authorities stated that while Bryant did not pull the trigger, his "misplaced loyalty" and willingness to assist were critical in the tragedy unfolding as it did. His case is pending in U.S. federal court. The shooting also sparked a fierce debate about the responsibilities of tech companies, leading to dozens of lawsuits against OpenAI for failing to report Van Rootselaar's violent chatbot queries to law enforcement.
