Victims of Canada Mass Shooting Identified: ‘The Tears Just Keep Flowing,’ One Family Says
Tuesday’s mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., was one of the deadliest attacks in Canada’s history
Abel Mwansa Jr; Kylie May SmithAbel Mwansa/Facebook; Gofundme
Tuesday’s mass shooting in Canada was one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s history.
In a country with strict gun laws and little history of mass violence, the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., that killed nine people and injured 25 more on Feb. 10, drew surprised and painful reactions from around the world.
The victims ranged from 11 to 39 years old — but most of those killed and injured were “quite young,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald shakily recounted to reporters at a press conference Wednesday.
Families who expected their children to grow up to be scientists or athletes, as The Toronto Star reported, are now suddenly grieving an unimaginable loss.
“Everything feels so surreal,” Peter Schofield, the grandfather of 13-year-old victim Eziekiel Schofield, wrote on Facebook. “The tears just keep flowing. So many young lives were ended so needlessly. Our hearts are broken not only for Eziekiel, but for every family affected by this tragedy.”
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The multi-location mass shooting began at 18-year-old suspect Jesse van Rootselaar’s family home where she shot and killed her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother, McDonald said.
The shooter then traveled to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where she opened fire, killing one person in a stairwell and six others in the school’s library. McDonald said 25 others were injured in the shooting — including 12-year-old Maya Gebala, who was reportedly shot in the head while trying to lock the door to the library in order to protect her classmates, according to Global News Canada.
Police arrived at the scene two minutes after Rootselaar first began shooting, but officials said it’s believed that Rootselaar turned her weapon on herself and died from a “self-inflicted injury” before officers could reach her.
Officials said investigators continued to search for a possible motive 24 hours later, though one local officer told the CBC authorities may “struggle” to ever understand what motivated the attack — the deadliest on Canadian soil since a gunman killed 13 people and lit fires that killed nine others in Nova Scotia in April 2020.
“Parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a speech in Parliament on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. “The nation mourns with you, and Canada stands by you.”
Carney later promised the nation: “We will get through this.”
Below is a list of the victims who lost their lives in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting.
Abel Mwansa Jr., 12
Abel Mwansa, Jr.Abel Mwansa/Facebook
Abel Mwansa Jr. “loved” going to school so much, his father says the late 12-year-old once broke down in tears at the idea of being homeschooled instead, according to a memorial in The National Post.
Abel Mwansa Sr. wrote in an emotional social media tribute that receiving the news his son was killed at school — the place he loved going to — was “devastating.”
“Seeing you leaving the house with that beautiful smile while going to Tumbler Ridge High school was so refreshing, this is because I saw a bright future, a leader an engineer also a scientist in you, because you loved doing experiments with explanation,” the victim’s father wrote on Facebook. “I invested so much in you to make you a better person, one that will change the world.”
The boy’s father added: “If I had power to give life I would have brought you back to life together with others that were killed alongside you but son my power is limited, and seeing your child murdered at this age is heart breaking.”
Eziekiel Schofield, 13
The family of 13-year-old victim Eziekiel Schofield also confirmed his death in an emotional message posted to social media.
“As many of you already know, Melody and I tragically lost our 13-year-old grandson, Eziekiel Schofield, yesterday in the Tumbler Ridge school shooting,” the boy’s grandfather, Peter Schofield, wrote. “We have heard from so many dear friends and family members, both near and far, and we are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences during this devastating time. Your messages, prayers, and support mean more to us than words can express.”
Eziekiel played forward with his local U-15 Tumbler Ridge Raptors hockey team, according to The Star. On Thursday, Feb. 12, a teammate’s parents rented ice time at their local rink and invited everyone in the community to gather, skate and find any comfort they could in being together.
Eziekiel played forward with his local U-15 Tumbler Ridge Raptors hockey team, according to The Star. On Thursday, Feb. 12, a teammate’s parents rented ice time at their local rink and invited everyone in the community to gather, skate and find any comfort they could in being together.
Eziekiel’s grandfather wrote that he and his wife would travel to Tumbler Ridge to be with the rest of their family.
“We feel absolutely broken,” the grieving grandparent added. “Everything feels so surreal. The tears just keep flowing. So many young lives were ended so needlessly. Our hearts are broken not only for Eziekiel, but for every family affected by this tragedy.”
Kylie May Smith, 12
Kylie May SmithGofundme
Kylie May Smith was a “beautiful, kind, innocent soul,” her aunt Shanon Dycke remembered in a GoFundMe set up Wednesday, as she says her family continues to try and make sense of her sudden death.
“Yesterday our family received the gut-wrenching news that our beautiful Kylie May was confirmed to be one of the victims in the Tumbler Ridge school shooting,” Dycke wrote in the fundraiser. “She was just 12 years old. We are completely devastated and have no words as we try to process the magnitude of the situation.”
Dycke said her “heart aches for the other families involved and for the loss of their children” as a result of Tuesday’s deadly shooting.
With hope, the grieving family member added: “To the families with children still in the hospital; keep fighting. We are sending you prayers.”
