Mark Carney joins hands with Canada opposition leader as he pays tribute to school shooting victims | Tumbler Ridge school shooting

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, told residents of Tumbler Ridge during a candlelight vigil for the eight victims of the mass shooting that devastated the small mining town that the country “is with you, and we will always be with you.”

Holding hands with opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, flanked by First Nations chiefs and local officials, the prime minister remembered families who endured the loss of loved ones following a shooting at a local school that became one of the deadliest attacks in Canadian history.

“I know nothing I can say will bring your children home,” the Prime Minister told about 2,000 people gathered in the cold, holding candles. “I know that no words from me or anyone else can fill the silence in your home tonight, and I will not pretend otherwise.”

On Tuesday, an 18-year-old transgender woman opened fire at Tumbler Ridge Middle School, killing five students and a teacher, after previously killing her mother and half-sibling at home. The attacker later committed suicide.

Police recently released the names of the victims at the school and remembered leaders Kylie Smith, Abel Mwansa, Zoey Benoit, Commerciala Lampert, Ezekiel Schofield and educator Shannda Aviugana-Durand during the vigil.

12-year-old Maya Gebala, who was injured in the head and neck, and 19-year-old Paige Hoekstra, who also suffered gunshot wounds, are being treated in hospitals in Vancouver.

“When we leave here tonight and some of you go back to your quiet homes and some of you go back to your empty rooms, please know that you are not alone,” Carney said. “Canada is a community that relies on each other’s grace, and may that grace bless us all.”

Earlier in the day, federal leaders marched to a memorial outside the school and met with the victims’ families for the first time. Both Carney and Poilievre fought back tears as they spoke to the victims’ families for the first time.

The duo, who have clashed politically in recent weeks, put aside partisan differences to present a united front, which was welcomed by town residents.

“There are no Conservatives today. There are no Liberals, New Democrats, Greens or Bloc Quebecois,” Poilivre said. “We are all just mom and dad. We are all watching our children go to school, waiting for them to come back to us.”

Poilievre praised Carney for his “tremendous grace” and the two leaders held hands as an Indigenous leader prayed outside city hall.

Leaders praised acts of heroism and courage that they said defined the town and its residents. British Columbia premier David Eby singled out a teacher who “did everything right” by barricading students in the classroom even though his own son had left the classroom to use the restroom. Eby credited the older students for reassuring and protecting the younger students.

Eby also promised students that they would not be forced to return to school under any circumstances. “We will provide you with a safe place to return to school.”

Dwayne McDonald, deputy commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia, said early Friday that the alleged attacker did not appear to be looking for a specific target at the school.

“This suspect was, for lack of a better term, hunting,” McDonald said. “They prepared and engaged with everyone they could come into contact with.”

McDonald said there was a “chaotic” scene at the school when police arrived, with fire alarms going off and someone shouting from the window that the suspect was upstairs.

“They entered the school, went up the stairs and were met with gunfire,” he said. “After reviewing the video, several seconds passed after gunshots were heard, which we now know were not directed at any person. The suspect then took his own life.”

Mayor Darryl Krakowka told the community to “make room” for each other, warning that the coming days will present major challenges in returning to the routine of daily life. But he praised their resilience.

“Tumbler Ridge shook but did not break.”