Tumbler Ridge Tragedy: Identities of 8 Victims Confirmed in Canada’s Deadliest School Shooting
Tumbler Ridge, Canada — February 13, 2026
The remote, snow-covered community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, remains in a state of profound mourning as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officially released the identities of the eight victims killed in Tuesday’s horrific mass shooting.
The massacre, which began in a private residence before spilling into the halls of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, has been declared the deadliest incident of its kind in recent Canadian history.
As the nation grapples with the shock, the stories of those lost—ranging from a beloved educator to children with dreams of the “big city”—have begun to emerge, painting a picture of a community shattered by an unimaginable act of violence.
A Trail of Devastation: From Home to School
The sequence of events, as reconstructed by Major Crime investigators, paints a chilling picture of the 18-year-old shooter’s final hours.
Authorities confirmed that the violence began at the suspect’s family home, where 39-year-old Jennifer Jacobs and her 11-year-old son, Emmett Jacobs, were found deceased.
Jennifer was the mother of the shooter, and Emmett was the suspect’s younger stepbrother.
Following the initial domestic attack, the shooter proceeded to the nearby high school. Within minutes, the library and stairwells became scenes of chaos.
Among those killed at the school was Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39, a dedicated educator and member of the B.C. Government Employees’ Union.
Her colleagues remembered her as a cornerstone of the school’s support system, a woman whose life was defined by her commitment to her students.
The Young Lives Cut Short
The most heart-wrenching aspect of the tragedy is the age of the remaining victims. Five students, all between the ages of 12 and 13, lost their lives in the gunfire:
Kylie Smith (12):
Described by her father, Lance Young, as the “light of the family,” Kylie was a talented artist who loved anime and dreamed of moving to Toronto to attend art school.
Zoey Benoit (12):
Her family remembered her as “resilient, vibrant, and the strongest little girl you could meet,” a child whose smart and caring nature left an indelible mark on everyone she touched.
Abel Mwansa (12):
His father shared that Abel always went to school with a “beautiful smile,” a young boy with a bright future that was cruelly stolen.
Ticaria Lampert (12):
Remembered as a “one-of-a-kind kiddo,” Ticaria was being raised in a large, loving family of seven siblings.
Ezekiel Schofield (13):
A young student whose presence in the school library that morning ended in a tragedy that has left his peers in a state of collective trauma.
A Community in Crisis and a Prime Minister’s Visit
The psychological impact on Tumbler Ridge, a town of roughly 2,000 people, is immeasurable.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced an emergency visit to the community to meet with grieving families and local leaders.
The visit comes amid a heated national debate regarding the “Gen-Z” mental health crisis and the accessibility of firearms, as two weapons—a long gun and a modified handgun—were recovered from the scene.
Police have also confirmed that two other female students, aged 12 and 19, remain in critical condition at a regional hospital after being airlifted from the scene.
The shooter, identified as a local resident with a history of prior police wellness checks, was found deceased from a self-inflicted injury shortly after the tactical units entered the building.
The Strategic View of Leadership Governance
For the world leadership governance, the Tumbler Ridge shooting is a stark reminder of the “silent vulnerabilities” in rural infrastructure and social safety nets.
The fact that the suspect had a history of police visits to her home suggests a failure in the early intervention systems that are supposed to catch such “red flags” before they escalate into mass casualties.
Castle Journal notes that this incident will likely trigger a massive overhaul of the Canadian “Red Flag” laws and a renewed focus on school security protocols in remote regions.
As the “brain of leadership,” we observe that the resilience of a nation is tested not just by how it prevents such tragedies, but by how it supports the survivors in the aftermath of a total breakdown of social order.
Conclusion: A Vigil for the Fallen
As the sun sets over the mountains of British Columbia, a makeshift memorial of flowers, art supplies, and candles continues to grow outside the school gates.
The people of Tumbler Ridge are no longer just a community; they are a family bound by a shared, unbearable grief.
The names of the eight—Jennifer, Emmett, Shannda, Kylie, Zoey, Abel, Ticaria, and Ezekiel—will be etched into the history of this town as a reminder of a day when the peace of the Canadian North was shattered, and a call for a world where no child fears going to school.
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