TUMBLER RIDGE, British Columbia — A quiet coal-mining town in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies became the site of an “unimaginable tragedy” on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, when a shooter killed 10 people and injured dozens more in a rampage that spanned a local residence and the town’s secondary school.
The attack, which claimed the lives of students and adults alike, is the deadliest school-linked shooting in Canadian history and the worst mass-casualty event the country has seen since the 2020 Nova Scotia rampage. As of Thursday morning, Feb. 12, the community of Tumbler Ridge remains under a pall of grief as investigators work to understand how a lone assailant—confirmed by police to be a woman—carried out such a high-velocity assault.
“The nation mourns with you,” a visibly emotional Prime Minister Mark Carney said during a press conference on Parliament Hill on Wednesday. “Parents, grandparents, sisters, and brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love. Canada stands by you.”
Timeline of the Tragedy
The violence began shortly before 1:00 p.m. local time at a private residence in the town of roughly 2,400 people. When RCMP officers later entered the home, they discovered two people deceased—victims who police believe were targeted before the shooter moved toward the school.
At 1:20 p.m., the Tumbler Ridge RCMP received the first frantic 911 calls reporting an “active shooter” at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which serves approximately 175 students in grades 7 through 12.
Witnesses described a scene of immediate chaos. An emergency alarm was triggered within the building, prompting students to barricade classroom doors with desks and chairs. For many, the next four hours were spent in terrifying silence, huddled in corners as the sound of sirens and low-flying helicopters circled the campus.
At 2:15 p.m., the RCMP issued a province-wide Police Initiated Public Alert (PIPA), ordering residents to shelter in place and stay away from the school zone. Officers who breached the building found a grim scene: six victims were dead inside the school. A seventh victim died while being transported by ambulance, and more than 25 others were triaged at a local medical center with injuries ranging from gunshot wounds to fractures sustained during the evacuation.
The suspect was found dead inside the school with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The public alert was finally cancelled at 5:45 p.m. after investigators confirmed there were no outstanding suspects.
The Suspect and the Motive
The shooter’s identity has not been officially released, though RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd, North District Commander, confirmed the suspect was a woman. During the initial emergency alert, police described her as “a female in a dress with brown hair.”
“We believe we have been able to identify the shooter,” Supt. Floyd said in a virtual briefing. “However, we are withholding the name for privacy reasons and to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”
Investigators are currently focusing on the relationship between the shooter and the victims at both the residence and the school. While police have not confirmed if the woman was a parent, staff member, or resident, they indicated she had a “known connection” to the sites.
Forensic teams are currently analyzing the shooter’s electronic devices and social media presence, seeking a manifesto or digital trail that might explain the transition from the domestic scene to a public school. “Motive is something we will struggle to ever fully determine,” Supt. Floyd admitted, noting the difficulty of finding answers when the perpetrator is deceased.
Impact and Casualties
The total death toll stands at 10, including the suspect.
- Location 1 (Residence): 2 deceased.
- Location 2 (School): 8 deceased (including the suspect).
- Injured: 27 individuals, including two victims who were airlifted to a regional trauma center in critical condition.
The names of the victims are being withheld pending full family notification, but local reports suggest the deceased include several teenagers and at least one staff member. Mayor Darryl Krakowkadescribed the town as “one big family” and stated that the loss has shattered every household in the community.
A Nation in Mourning
Flags across Canada, from the Peace Tower in Ottawa to provincial legislatures, have been lowered to half-staff for a week-long period of mourning. The tragedy has drawn international condolences, including a message from King Charles III, who expressed he and Queen Camilla were “profoundly shocked and saddened” by the “senseless act of brutal violence.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney cancelled a planned trip to the Munich Security Conference and a defense announcement in Halifax to manage the federal response. He has deployed Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to British Columbia to coordinate with Premier David Eby, who arrived in Tumbler Ridge on Wednesday evening.
“It is hard to know what to say on a night like tonight,” Premier Eby told reporters. “I am asking the people of British Columbia to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight. Hug your kids a little tighter.”
Political and Social Fallout
The Tumbler Ridge shooting has instantly reignited a fierce national debate regarding Canada’s firearm laws. Under the Carney government, Canada has maintained the strict “assault-style” weapon bans introduced in 2020 and 2022, but this incident—involving a female shooter and a remote northern location—has raised new questions about rural gun access and mental health intervention.
- Gun Control: Advocacy groups like Poly Remembers are calling for a full audit of how the suspect obtained the firearm and whether the weapon used was among those previously banned but still in circulation under “grandfathering” clauses.
- School Security: The provincial government has announced an immediate review of school safety protocols in rural districts, where police response times can be longer than in urban centers. However, Supt. Floyd noted that in this case, officers reached the school within two minutes of the first call.
- Mental Health: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre expressed his “devastation” and called for increased focus on mental health resources and “fixing a broken system” that allows individuals to reach such a breaking point.
The Road Ahead
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School remains a closed crime scene. Forensic investigators are expected to remain on-site through the weekend, and classes have been suspended indefinitely. The town’s community center has been converted into a crisis hub, with trauma counselors and victim services arriving from across the province.
Vigils are planned for Thursday evening at the town arena and in major cities including Vancouver and Victoria. For now, the people of Tumbler Ridge are left to sift through the “appalling shadow,” as King Charles described it, that has descended on their town.
Project Northern Shield, the joint RCMP task force, continues its work. Authorities are urging anyone with video footage or information from the afternoon of Feb. 10 to contact the dedicated RCMP tip line.
