By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will shortly visit the remote British Columbia town of Tumbler Ridge, where nine people died in one of the country’s worst mass shootings, his office said on Thursday.
Police say 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who had suffered mental health problems, killed her mother and stepbrother on Tuesday before shooting a teacher and five young students at the local school.
Van Rootselaar, who police say was born a male but began identifying as a woman six years ago, then died by suicide.
“The Prime Minister will be visiting Tumbler Ridge shortly in support of the community … (we are) working closely with the community and local authorities to finalize details based on their own immediate needs,” Carney’s office said in a brief statement, which gave no details.
Across Tumbler Ridge, a town of around 2,400 in the Canadian Rockies, flowers and stuffed animals could be seen at unofficial public memorials.
“Hold your kids tight, tell them you love them every day. You never know,” a tearful Lance Young, father of 12-year-old victim Kylie Smith, told reporters on Wednesday.
Police, who say they still do not have a motive, held a meeting with provincial officials late on Wednesday.
“They are working very hard – they recognize the public does need to hear information to fill that vacuum,” local provincial legislator Larry Neufeld told CBC News on Thursday.
Police said they had visited Van Rootselaar’s house on several occasions to address mental health issues and had twice taken her away for formal assessments. British Columbia premier David Eby said on Wednesday he had reached out to local health officials to ask for more details of the interactions.
At one point police seized guns from the house but returned them after the owner – who they did not identify – successfully appealed the decision.
British Columbia on Thursday observed an official day of mourning. Provincial lieutenant-governor Wendy Cocchia, the personal representative of King Charles, Canada’s head of state, is due to give a speech in the legislature honoring the victims.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Nia Williams)
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