Canada school shooting: 18-year-old trans woman killed mother, step-brother at home before school rampage
PTC News Desk: An 18-year-old trans woman with mental health disorders has been identified as the killer who opened fire at school in British Columbia, Canada that resulted in the deaths of nine children.
Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and stepbrother before attacking her former school, police said, without offering a motive for one of the worst mass slaughters in Canadian history.
The killer later died by suicide after the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, a remote community of 2,400 people in the Pacific province of British Columbia.
The police further said earlier weapons from her home were confiscated after its licence lapsed, but were subsequently returned. Reportedly, Rootselaar also had a history of mental health illness, with police visiting her home more than once to check on her.
On more than one occasion, she was apprehended under the provincial Mental Health Act for an assessment, McDonald said. She once attended the school where the attack took place but dropped out four years ago.
"Police had attended that (family) residence on multiple occasions over the past several years, dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect," McDonald said.
Police received the information about the killing at home after neighbours alerted them. However the motive behind both the incidents remains unclear and remains as part of the investigation.
- With inputs from agencies
