An 18-year-old has been named as the suspect in a shooting that killed eight people and injured dozens more in British Columbia, Canada.
Police said Jesse Van Rootselaar was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot injury. The motive for the attack is not yet known.
Six people were killed and at least 25 others were injured at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Two others – the suspect’s mother, 39, and step-brother, 11 – were found dead at a nearby home.
Authorities said Van Rootselaar was born a biological male but identified as a woman.
“I can say that Jesse was born as a biological male who approximately six years ago began to transition to female,” Dwayne McDonald, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) deputy commissioner, said.
The shooting at the nearby home occurred first, then the suspect went to the school, McDonald said.
The victims at the school were a 39-year-old female educator, three female students, all aged 12, and two male students, one aged 12 and the other 13.
Authorities do not believe there are other suspects involved in the shootings.
Police said they had attended the suspect’s family home on multiple occasions over the past several years, with some calls related to mental health concerns.
Van Rootselaar previously had a valid gun licence that had since lapsed, McDonald said.
Police said Van Rootselaar had dropped out of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School four years ago.
