A gunman who murdered nine people in the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history has been named as Jesse Strang, who is reported to be transgender.
Strang, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon, a parent whose son attends the school told the Daily Mail. Six people were killed at the school and a seventh died en route to the hospital.
Strang took his own life at the school. He killed his mother Jennifer and brother Emmett at their home beforehand, CTV News reported.
Strang was named by police on Wednesday as Jesse Van Rootselaar. He is understood to have used his mother’s name, Strang, socially and at school.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Strang killed a female teacher, three girls and two boys aged between 13 and 17. They added that a tenth victim reported to have died after being rushed to hospital actually survived their injuries.
The parent, who requested to remain anonymous, said his son knew Strang’s family and played sports with one of his siblings.
His son was at the academic institution Tuesday when Strang carried out the deadly massacre. He is now ‘afraid to go back to school’, his father added.
Juno News and Western Standard News were among the first publications to identify Strang and described the shooter as a biological male who identifies as a woman named Jess.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police refused to confirm Strang’s identity and whether he was transgender after being contacted by the Daily Mail. Authorities have only identified the shooter as a ‘female in a dress’.
Six people were killed and 25 injured at the school and an additional victim died on the way to the hospital, police said. Two more people were found dead at a nearby home believed to be connected to the deadly attack.
Sources told the Daily Mail that Strang lived at the home with three relatives.
Strang’s uncle Russell, who told Juno News she was responsible for the shooting, said the suspected shooter was ‘transgender’.
Hellbound and Down 