‘What word is there for this?’ Tumbler Ridge reaches for unity in storm of grief | Canada

R.Residents of the Canadian mining town of Tumbler Ridge largely agree that Tuesday, February 10, started out like a normal day. The cloudy fog that settled over the valley was typical. So was the cold of winter.

There was no hint that the quiet, comfortable routine of daily life in the mountains would be irrevocably shattered in one of Canada’s worst-ever acts of mass violence.

Stores had been open for hours and while students were in the middle of classes, a shooter opened fire and killed eight people, most of them young children.

The attack unleashed a storm of grief, anger and disbelief that hung heavy over the town. Hugs between friends become tighter and last longer. Grown men fall to their knees, their eyes turning red at the injustice of it all. Residents are being robbed of their ability to speak.

“What do you call this? What word is there for it?” Don McKay, whose 17-year-old son Duncan was in gym class when the shooter arrived at the school and opened fire, said: Most students ignored the scattered explosions until a teacher came running into the gym and began frantically leading them to a storage room, which he then locked up. “I encouraged him to talk to help make sense,” McKay said. “But it also helps. Because I can’t find the words. Sometimes, for a moment, there is. But most of the time, I can’t.”

At the memorial Thursday night, Mayor Darryl Krakowka said crying is a sign of strength, not weakness, and that the community must remain strong.

After police released the full list of victims, families began publicly mourning a loss that was both unimaginable and heartbreaking in its cruelty.

Children ages 12 to 13 were remembered as dreamers, dancers, athletes and, in the case of Sarah Lampert’s daughter, Commerciala, an “energizing bunny.” Commerciala was less than two months shy of his 13th birthday when he and his friend were killed.

“These were beautiful girls who didn’t deserve this,” Lampert said, showing photos of “my tiki torch.”

“I don’t know what else to say,” he said to dozens of cameras trained on him.

Two adults were also killed Tuesday. Shannda Aviugana-Durand was an educational assistant who spent her days with students at Tumbler Ridge middle school. Jennifer Strang was the mother of the gunman and his four children, including 11-year-old Emmett Jacobs, who was also killed.

The shooting in a town of fewer than 2,500 full-time residents tested the boundaries and scope of what community means. The unspoken promise of life in a place like Tumbler Ridge is, as one resident put it, “the town carries you when you need it.”

But the town is now grappling with a tragedy broader and deeper than most could have imagined, and an injustice committed by one of its own.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, whom investigators identified as the shooter, had a history of police visits to his home to check on his mental health. He was taken into formal evaluation twice. British Columbia Premier David Eby said he has reached out to local health officials to ask for more details. At one point, police seized guns from the home but returned them after the homeowner, whom they did not identify, successfully appealed the decision. The firearm license expired in 2024 and was not renewed. Local residents say Van Rootselaar, who left school four years ago, lived a reclusive life. These statements angered local residents; Some believe more could have been done to stop the attack.

But as in many places where tragedy struck, a sense of duty prevailed among residents and those who came to town to help.

The town’s library has become a gathering space for families to shelter themselves from the glare of news cameras. dinosaur museum This area, which attracts tourists with its collection of fossils from the Triassic period during the warmer months, is closed to the public so that residents have a private area for grief counseling. Twisted Seasons Bistro staff donated more than $1,500 in food to paramedics, police and anyone else who thought a hot meal or coffee could bring a little joy.

“We’re very close here. We’re a family,” said Tiffany Hildebrandt, who spent her day off taking orders and cleaning tables at the cafe.

To outsiders, the town is reduced to a single building where the horror took place: the red-brick school. But Scott McKay said Tumbler Ridge is a special place. “There’s a reason I’ve lived here this long.”

He hopes Mark Carney’s decision to attend the commemoration, the first time a prime minister has visited Tumbler Ridge alongside political rival Pierre Poilievre, will highlight how the tragedy has brought the country together.

“They put politics aside. They are both fathers.”

Area residents also received encouraging news. Cia Edmonds, whose daughter was shot in the neck and head and flown to Vancouver, shared on Facebook that Maya had moved for the first time in two days.

“Stimulus, a kick, a hand gesture, but that’s something important!” he wrote. “Pray for our community. Pray for support. Pray for healing. Pray that all the young minds who have to live in memory can grieve and finally move forward with their heads held high.”

The day before he had written: “It was an ordinary day. What happened.”