Saturday 14 / February / 2026
British Columbia: A remote mining town in Canada's province of British Columbia became a symbol of national solidarity on Friday as it mourned the victims of one of the worst mass shootings in the country's history.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and the country's main opposition leader Pierre Poilievre held hands at a candlelight vigil as an Indigenous leader sang a prayer outside the town hall in Tumbler Ridge.
The community has been reeling following a deadly shooting at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School earlier in the week.
According to authorities, the alleged shooter killed her mother, and 11-year-old step-brother in their home and then headed to the school to open fire.
Five children and an educator died in the shooting before the shooter killed herself.
School shootings in Canada are relatively rare compared to the neighboring United States, and gun control legislation is more robust.
Canada politicians unite to support grieving community
On Friday, hundreds of people gathered at the memorial for the victims of the shooting. Some were seen holding up pictures of their loved ones who had been killed.
The prime minister vowed the country's enduring support to the grieving town.
"When you wake up tomorrow and the world feels impossible, know that millions of Canadians are with you," he said at the vigil.
Carney also lauded Tumbler Ridge's community for caring for each other.
"And when the unimaginable happened on Tuesday, you were there again. First responders at the school within two minutes. Teachers shielding their children," he said.
What do we know about the school shooting in Canada?
More details on the shooter have been emerging in the days since the violence.
The 18-year-old had suffered a series of mental health problems, police said.
The killings appeared random, they added, saying the shooter did not seem to target any individuals specifically.
Authorities released a photo of the shooter in which she is seen wearing a hoodie with an expressionless face. According to the police, the shooter was transgender who began to transition to female six years ago and identified as female both "socially and publicly."
Her father sent a statement to the public broadcaster CBC with condolences for a "senseless and unforgivable act of violence."
Meanwhile, police named the school victims as Abel Mwansa, 12; Ezekiel Schofield, 13; Kylie Smith, 12; Zoey Benoit, 12; and Ticaria Lampert, 12, as well as teacher Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39.
Carney said at Friday's memorial that the shooter's mother and brother who were killed also "deserve to be mourned."
