A man who claimed to be a “transgender” woman has killed nine people and himself and wounded more than 25 others in a mass shooting at a high school in Canada.
Jesse Strang, 18, was identified as the gunman by residents of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, following the horrific rampage at about 1.20pm local time on Tuesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) initially described the shooter as a “female in a dress with brown hair”, but locals told Western Standard Strang was “transgender” and had been a “quiet kid”.
Strang first killed his mother and younger brother before shooting dead seven more people at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and turning the gun on himself. About 27 others were injured, with two fighting for life.
Video of the scene showed a large homosexual “pride” flag in one of the school windows.
🚨 NEW 🚨
I’ve obtained exclusive footage captured by locals in Tumbler Ridge.
Truly harrowing scenes…
— Jarryd Jäger (@JarrydJaeger) February 11, 2026
“As part of the initial response to the active shooting, police entered the school to locate the threat,” the RCMP said.
“During the search, officers located multiple victims. An individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self‑inflicted injury.
“Six additional individuals, not including the suspect, have been located deceased inside the school. A third victim died while being transported to hospital.”
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School students Liam Irving and Juan van Heerden said they grew up with Strang, who was a couple of years younger than them.
“He was a chill kid, he was alright, but he definitely gave off that, you know, quiet one out kind of kid … Like, he wasn’t, you know, destructive or obnoxious,” Irvin said.
“My mom was pretty good friends with the mother, Jennifer, and my little brother, who’s also on the spectrum, was pretty close to Emmett, the younger boy.
“There’s not one person in this town right now that’s not affected by this.”
“We always seen [Strang] by himself … sitting by himself in the corner, always quiet,” van Heerden said.
People claiming to be “transgender” have also been responsible for several recent mass shootings in the US, including a church attack in Minneapolis in 2025, and a school massacre in Nashville in 2023 that was not confirmed to be “trans”-related by authorities until last year.
Header image: Left, students coming out of the school after the shooting. Right, a “pride” flag in a school window (Western Standard).
