A chilling photo has emerged that shows the transgender shooter—who killed his mother and brother before going on to murder six others in Canada's second-deadliest school shooting—smiling as he flaunts an assault-style rifle. Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire inside the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon.
The gun rampage killed a female teacher, along with six students — three girls and two boys between the ages of 13 and 17. The gunman later died by suicide at the school. Before the attack, he had shot and killed his mother, Jennifer, and his brother, Emmett, at their family home, according to a report.
Chilling Act of Violence
Images that later surfaced paint a troubling contrast: in some, the teenager appears quiet and withdrawn while celebrating a birthday or sharing a meal with family; in others, he is seen smiling as he holds an assault-style rifle.
Van Rootselaar was known to use his mother's surname, Strang, in social settings and at school. He was formally identified by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Wednesday, who said he was described as a woman.
Police said Jesse began identifying as female at the age of 12 and noted that officers had responded to multiple incidents at his home over the years related to his mental health. Authorities also revealed that he stopped attending school at 14 and was, at one point, and even had to be apprehended for a mental health assessment under Canada's mental health laws.
"Police have attended that residence in the past, approximately a couple of years ago, where firearms were seized under the Criminal Code," said Dwayne McDonald, Deputy Commissioner of British Columbia RCMP.
"I can say that at a later point in time, the lawful owner of those firearms petitioned for those firearms to be returned, and they were."
Disturbing Past
Jennifer did not have a valid firearms license at the time she died. Van Rootselaar was living in the home with three other relatives, according to sources. People who knew him described him as a quiet, withdrawn teenager who often kept to himself, usually sitting alone off to the side.
Claims about Strang's gender identity were also echoed by fellow students Liam Irving and Juan van Heerden, who said Strang was a few grades younger than them at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
They said that Strang appeared to use she/her pronouns on social media accounts that have since been taken down.
Among the more than two dozen students and teachers hurt in the attack is 12-year-old Maya Gebala, who is fighting for her life after suffering gunshot wounds to her head and neck.
Her family said she was struck by shrapnel during the chaos, though it remains unclear exactly how she was injured or the extent of the damage.
Her mother, Cia Edmonds, said she has been keeping a constant vigil at her daughter's bedside after the critically injured girl was airlifted to Vancouver Children's Hospital for emergency treatment.
"Today started as any other. Now, however, my 12-year-old daughter is fighting for her life while they try to repair the damage from a gunshot wound to the head, and one to the neck," she said.
"She was a lucky one, I suppose. Condolences to the other families during this tragedy. This doesn't even feel real.
"I never thought I would be asking for prayers... but please, please pray for my baby."
Tumbler Ridge is a small, scenic mountain valley community nestled in the foothills of the Rockies, roughly 736 miles north of Vancouver, and home to about 2,400 residents.
