Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has laid a bouquet of flowers at a makeshift memorial in Tumbler Ridge, as new details have emerged about the school shooting that left eight people dead in the remote British Columbia town.
On Friday, Carney travelled to the mining community alongside opposition leaders in a show of national solidarity following Tuesday’s attack at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, one of the deadliest episodes of violence in recent Canadian history.
Police have identified the shooter as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said she was "hunting" and that "there was no specific targeting of any individuals."
According to investigators, Van Rootselaar killed her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at their home before heading to the school, where she shot dead five students and a teacher, then took her own life.
'Unforgivable act of violence'
Her estranged father, Justin Van Rootselaar, said in a statement to CBC that he was offering condolences for a "senseless and unforgivable act of violence."
"As the biological father of the individual responsible, I carry a sorrow that is difficult to put into words," the statement said.
Police have released a photograph of the suspect and confirmed she had known mental health issues.
Carney is expected to address a vigil outside the town hall in Tumbler Ridge, about 1,180 kilometres north of Vancouver.
The town of roughly 2,400 residents has been marked by grief, with families of victims sharing tributes.
Carney earlier told parliament that "these children and their teachers bore witness to unheard-of cruelty," describing Tumbler Ridge as resilient and compassionate.
He cancelled plans to attend the Munich Security Conference following the attack.
