Several people were killed and dozens more injured in shootings at a high school and a residence in the northeast part of the province of British Columbia, Canadian police said Tuesday. The suspected gunman is dead, officials said.
The shooting was first reported at 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a news release.
Authorities responded to find six people dead inside the school, the RCMP said, and a seventh person died while being transported to a hospital.
Police also responded to a residence that is believed to have been linked to the shooting, where two more people were found dead. The nature of their injuries was not confirmed.
Two more people from the shooting at the school were airlifted to area hospitals with serious or life-threatening injuries, police said.
The suspected gunman was found dead in the school from a “self-inflicted injury,” Canadian police said.
About 25 others were assessed at a local medical center for non-life-threatening injuries, the RCMP disclosed.
Police had earlier asked residents of the town of Tumbler Ridge, which has a population of about 2,400 people, to stay inside as additional police resources are being deployed to the area from neighboring areas. A community-wide alert was canceled at 5:45 p.m., and investigators believed there were no suspects outstanding in the incident, RCMP said.
The Peace River South School District said Tuesday that there was a “lockdown and secure and hold” at both the secondary school and the Tumbler Ridge Elementary school.
The provincial government website lists Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as having 175 students from Grades 7 to 12.
Larry Neufeld, the member of the legislature for Peace River South, told reporters at the legislature that an “excess” of resources, including RCMP and ambulance support, have been sent to the community.
He said he didn’t want to release any more information over concerns that it might jeopardize the safety of the ongoing operation.
He urged those in the community to stay where they are.
“We do understand that a few folks are out looking for loved ones, and again, please, please go back to your homes and shelter in place and allow the amazing people of the RCMP to make this community, this beautiful community, safe again,” he said.