Tumbler Ridge documents reveal school shooter was ‘obsessed’ with guns

Hundreds of pages of court documents have been released detailing the events of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting on February 10, following a push for transparency by media outlets, victims' families, and the community. The files shed light on the shooter, identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, revealing significant details about his state of mind and access to weapons.

A sworn police document, an ITO written by RCMP Const. Jonathan Paquin, confirms that Jesse "had mental health problems and was fascinated by firearms." The records further note that the shooter, who identified as female, was "obsessed with guns." This obsession began at home, where Van Rootselaar killed his mother, 39-year-old Jennifer Strang, and his 11-year-old stepbrother, Emmett Jacobs, before proceeding to the school.

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Jesse had mental health problems and was fascinated by firearms.

Despite the release of these documents, much information remains withheld from the public. Details concerning the firearms used in the school shooting are heavily redacted, as are specifics about the four guns traced from the family home. Police obtained five search warrants for electronics, digital clues, suicide notes, and manifestos, but Van Rootselaar’s social media and phone records are also blacked out, leaving the public unaware if any crucial evidence was found.

Disturbing questions persist regarding the shooter's access to firearms. Records indicate police seized guns from Van Rootselaar's home, but the documents do not clarify why these weapons were returned to the rightful owner after a court process. It remains unknown if any of the seized firearms were among those used in the tragic incident, which claimed the lives of five children and an educator at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.

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obsessed with guns