School shooting in Canada: Attacker identified as transgender teenager

Canadian authorities are moving forward with the investigation into the shooting at a school in British Columbia, an attack that left nine dead and has shocked the country. This Wednesday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed the identity of the perpetrator: Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old transgender teenager.

During a press conference in Surrey, deputy commissioner Dwayne McDonald also clarified a piece of information that had generated confusion in the first hours following the attack. Initially, authorities reported ten fatalities, but police corrected the figure and confirmed that nine people died as a result of the shooting: eight victims and the attacker.

The official also specified that a woman who had been reported dead is still alive. She was one of the two victims taken by helicopter to a hospital and both remain in critical condition.

Regarding the attacker's profile, McDonald explained that the suspect was born a biological male and began his gender transition approximately six years ago, publicly identifying as a woman since then. He also revealed that police had gone to the family residence on previous occasions, some of them linked to mental health.

Authorities indicated that the aggressor was found dead inside the educational establishment with a self-inflicted wound. They also confirmed that he was not currently attending that school, as he had dropped out around four years ago.

The investigation also established a direct connection between the attacker and two of the victims found in a local home: his mother and stepbrother.

Among those killed at the school were a 39-year-old female teacher, three 12-year-old female students and two male students aged 12 and 13. To these victims are added the adult female and the minor found in the residence.

While investigators continue to reconstruct the sequence of events and the possible motive for the attack, Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered flags on government buildings to fly at half-mast as a sign of mourning. In Parliament, lawmakers shared a moment of silence in tribute to the victims of a tragedy that puts the spotlight back on gun violence and mental health.