Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will soon visit a remote mining town that was in mourning Thursday after a school shooting that left eight people dead.
No date has been set, but Carney will visit the small town of Tumbler Ridge after arrangements are made with local authorities grappling with Tuesday's attack, the premier's office said.
Unlike in the United States right next door, violence like this is rare in Canada, which has strict gun control laws.
Police say they do not know the motive of the 18-year-old shooter, who later took her life.
The streets of Tumbler Ridge, population 2,400, were deserted Thursday morning, with most stores closed as the town observed a day of mourning.
Near the school, a bouquet of flowers and stuffed animals were placed at the foot of a tree.
The British Columbia provincial government cancelled all official business and observed a minute of silence.
Police commander Dwayne McDonald said the shooter killed her mother and stepbrother before shooting dead another six people at the town's high school.
He identified her as Jesse Van Rootselaar, a transgender woman who dropped out of the targeted high school four years ago. Officials say she was known to have mental health issues.
Nearly everyone has a connection to one of the victims in the small town in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil Wednesday night.
"I couldn't wrap my head around it," said Emphraim Almazan, a miner who moved to the tight-knit community of about 2,400 three years ago.
"I was like, there's no way it happened in Tumbler Ridge."
Officers who entered the high school found six people dead -- a 39-year-old female teacher and five students -- three 12-year-old girls and two boys, aged 13 and 12. Â
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.