RCMP say investigation of shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School completed

By Canadian Press on February 16, 2026.

TUMBLER RIDGE — RCMP say an investigation of the crime scene at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where five students and an educator were killed last week has concluded.

Police say in a statement that the school has been turned back over to the local school district.

Mounties pulled down the yellow tape that had surrounded the school since Tuesday, when 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar shot and killed five students and an educator after killing her mother and half brother at the family home.

Van Rootselaar killed herself as police arrived at the school.

However, it’s unclear when or if students will ever return to classes at the school after Premier David Eby said students would not be forced to return.

Eby’s announcement came after Christy Fennell, the superintendent of the Peace River South school district, said in a letter to families on Friday that the expectation is that students will not be returning to the school.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2026.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press

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