Nine people were killed on Tuesday in a remote part of western Canada, including seven who were shot at a secondary school and two others found dead at a residence, federal police said.
An individual believed to be responsible for the killings in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, was found deceased with what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said.
Twenty-seven people were injured, including two with serious injuries and 25 with non-life-threatening injuries, the RCMP said in a statement.
Police said an alert was issued on Tuesday afternoon about an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
Authorities searched the school and initially found six people, not including the suspect, who had been shot dead.
A seventh person who was shot at the school died while being transported to hospital.
Police “identified a secondary location believed to be connected to the incident, where two additional victims were located deceased in a residence,” the statement said.
Canadian media have reported that the shooter was female, but the RCMP statement did not provide further details about the suspect.
“This was a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation, and the swift cooperation from the school, first responders, and the community played a critical role in our response,” said Ken Floyd, the RCMP’s northern district commander.
“This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional day for our community,” he added.
Tumbler Ridge is more than 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia’s largest city.
