Nine Dead in Canadian School Massacre as Prime Minister Declares Week of Mourning

A quiet mountain town in Canada is now the site of one of the deadliest school shootings in the country’s recent history.

Nine people are dead. More than two dozen are injured. A community of just 2,400 has been shattered.

The violence erupted Tuesday afternoon inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Authorities say the suspected gunman is also dead from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The rampage unfolded at approximately 1:20 p.m., according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Students were still in class when the gunfire began.

Officers rushed to the school within minutes.

When they entered the building, they found six victims dead inside. A seventh victim later died while being transported to a hospital. Two others were airlifted with life-threatening injuries. Roughly 25 more were treated for wounds that police described as non-life-threatening.

“This is an unfathomable tragedy for this community,” an RCMP spokesperson told reporters. “Our officers encountered a scene that no one should ever have to witness.”

But the horror did not end at the school.

As investigators worked the scene, they uncovered what they described as a “secondary location believed to be connected to the incident.” Inside a nearby residence, two additional victims were found dead.

Police have not yet detailed the relationship between the residence and the school shooting. Officers continued searching other homes and properties late into the night to determine whether anyone else was injured or linked to the suspect.

Tumbler Ridge sits in the Northern Rockies of northeastern British Columbia. It is a remote, tight-knit town where many families have known each other for generations. The secondary school serves both middle and high school students, making the attack even more devastating for local families.

By Wednesday morning, the tragedy had reached the highest levels of government.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced seven days of national mourning. Flags at federal buildings, including the Peace Tower in Ottawa, will fly at half-staff for a week.

A visibly shaken Carney addressed the nation.

“This is a very difficult day for the country,” he said. “Parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love. The nation mourns with you. Canada stands by you.”

In a separate statement, Carney added, “I am devastated. I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly.”

He also praised first responders.

“We thank the teachers, the staff, the residents, and the first responders for their courage and selflessness in this terrible situation.”

Mass shootings are statistically less common in Canada than in the United States, but the country has faced its own devastating incidents in recent years. This attack will almost certainly reignite national debate over gun laws, mental health intervention, and rural community safety in 2026.

For now, investigators say their focus remains on identifying the victims and piecing together the shooter’s motive.

Grief counselors have been deployed to the town. Schools across the region have increased security. Parents are holding their children closer.

In a town where everyone knows everyone, the loss is not abstract. It is personal.

And in the Northern Rockies this week, the silence feels heavier than the mountains themselves.