Tumbler Ridge Reels in Silence After School Shooting Tragedy
As media crews descended on Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, they were greeted by a ghost town. The day after a devastating mass shooting, the townsite nestled in the mountains was eerily quiet, with journalists and camera operators outnumbering residents on the streets by a significant margin.
A Community in Mourning
On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar opened fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, killing six teachers and students before taking his own life. The shooter also killed his mother and stepbrother in the horrific incident that has left this tight-knit community of 2,400 residents shattered.
Police stood guard near taped-off areas at the school where the tragedy unfolded. Five camera crews were positioned behind the secondary school, capturing the somber scene where the violence occurred just 24 hours earlier.
Media Overwhelms Quiet Streets
The downtown core, normally a place where residents can easily walk from the supermarket to the community centre to the high school, now felt like a soundstage waiting for actors who would never arrive. The town's visitors centre had become the de facto media gathering place and parking lot, with more cameras visible throughout the downtown area as reporters sought to speak with locals.
"People are staying home," explained a security guard stationed in front of the community health centre, where mental-health resources were being offered to residents. "They're not ready." The guard noted that no one had shown up to take advantage of the specialized services beyond everyday medical needs.
A Community Withdraws
In this close-knit community where everyone is, at most, a handshake away from a victim, residents have largely chosen to remain hidden from the outside world. Three people emerged from the community centre wiping away tears but made it clear they did not want to be approached by media. They huddled together until journalists walked away, a scene repeated on several street corners where small groups gathered, looking over their shoulders and eyeing the strangers who had overrun their town.
Simply put, the people of Tumbler Ridge are not prepared to share their grief with outsiders, especially those armed with notepads, microphones and cameras. This represents the aftershock when tragedy strikes a small community—suddenly appearing on the radar of major media centers like Toronto, New York and London.
Logistical Challenges in a Small Town
The influx of emergency personnel and media created significant logistical challenges for the remote community. Local hotels stopped taking online reservations on Tuesday when they were overwhelmed by room requests from RCMP and emergency service members being deployed to the town. These workers received priority for accommodations, leaving many media members who had made online reservations to discover their bookings had been bumped.
At the Tumbler Ridge Hotel and Suites, the scene played out repeatedly: "I reserved online." "Sorry, we closed online booking yesterday." The RCMP had booked 20 rooms at the hotel soon after the shooting, and the establishment remained full through the weekend despite the cancellation of a hockey tournament that was supposed to bring in out-of-town teams.
The tragedy has prompted Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to order flags flown at half-mast in solidarity with the grieving community, while one victim remains in critical condition fighting for her life.
