Nine people were shot dead after an attacker opened fire at a high school in western Canada on Wednesday, marking one of the worst mass killings in recent Canadian history.
Six people were found dead inside a high school in the rural town of Tumbler Ridge in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. Two more people were found dead at a residence believed to be connected to the incident and another person died on the way to hospital, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney promised Canadians would get through what he described as a “terrible” event.
'We will get through this. We will learn from this,” Mr Carney told reporters, at one point looking close to tears.
The suspected shooter was also found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted injury, police said.
Police initially described the shooter as a “female in a dress with brown hair” but later referenced a “gunperson” amid unconfirmed reports the suspect was a transgender, biological male.
At least two other people were taken to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
They said they did not believe there were any more suspects or a continuing threat to the public.
Police Supt Ken Floyd confirmed at a media conference that the suspect described in the alert was the same person found dead in the school.
Officers did not say how many of the victims were children.
The attack brought to Canada the type of mass shooting more common in the neighbouring US. Canada has stricter gun laws than the US, but Canadians can own firearms with a licence.
The Trudeau government introduced a number of restrictions on handgun ownership and assault-style weapons since 2020, partly in response to a mass shooting in Nova Scotia and the Uvalde school shooting in Texas.
However, attempts to ban certain types of rifles and shotguns were abandoned after opposition from farmers and hunters.
Britain's King Charles, who is also King of Canada, along with Camilla, William and Kate, shared their condolences with those affected, with the senior royals saying they “stand in solidarity” with all Canadians in the aftermath of the tragedy.
