A neighbour disclosed that before carrying out a tragic school shooting in Canada, an 18-year-old teenager had attempted to kill her family by setting their house on fire. The teenager, Jesse Van Rootselaar, fatally shot her 11-year-old stepbrother and her mother, Jennifer Strang, before opening fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia.
The school shooting resulted in the deaths of five students and a teacher, with 25 others sustaining injuries. Van Rootselaar was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators are working to uncover the motive behind the devastating incident.
A neighbour revealed that in 2023, Van Rootselaar intentionally set fire to her family’s home in an attempt to harm her parents. The neighbour recalled how Van Rootselaar remained emotionless in the front yard as emergency services responded to the blaze.
Van Rootselaar later attributed the house fire incident to her use of hallucinogenic drugs on social media. Additionally, a YouTube channel linked to the teenager showcased interests in hunting, self-reliance, and firearms, as shared by her mother on Facebook in 2021.
Following the school shooting, authorities recovered two guns from the school and two more from the family residence. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police indicated that an unregistered shotgun was likely used by Van Rootselaar in the domestic homicides, while different weapons, including a modified handgun, were used in the school attack.
Forensic examinations at the secondary school and Van Rootselaar’s home are expected to conclude over the weekend. The police highlighted a focus on analyzing the firearms seized from both locations and are working to trace the origins and ownership of all firearms involved in the tragic events.
