A gunman killed seven people at a British Columbia secondary school Tuesday, while two others were found dead at a residence believed to be connected to the campus shooting, police said.
The attacks were carried out in Tumbler Ridge, a small city in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, on Tuesday afternoon, the Royal Mounted Canadian Police said in a statement.
The shooter was also found dead, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the agency said.
“We believe we’ve been able to identify the shooter,” RMCP Superintendent Ken Floyd said at an evening news conference. The release of the shooter’s name, however, would have to wait amid an ongoing investigation, he said.
Any possible connection between the shooter and the school or the residence where additional victims were found was still being investigated, Floyd said.
Police went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School about 1:20 p.m. based on a report of an active shooter, the RMCP said. Six victims were found dead on arrival, and an additional victim died en route to a hospital.
Two others were airlifted to medical facilities with life-threatening injuries, the RMCP said.
An estimated 25 other people at the location suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The campus, also described as a high school, was evacuated.
Police went to a residence believed to be connected to the attack and found two people dead inside, Floyd said.
It was too early to give an accounting of how many victims are children, he said, and a possible motive has not been determined.
“The scene was very dramatic and there are multiple victims that are still being cared for,” Floyd said.
Tumbler Ridge was developed in 1981 to support coal miners and the local coal industry, according to the website Visit Tumbler Ridge. It’s population is 2,399, according to the Canadian government.