Hundreds of pages of court documents relating to the February 10 mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary have been made public after a nationwide push for transparency. The files confirm that the 18‑year‑old perpetrator, Jesse Van Rootselaar, suffered from mental health problems and was obsessed with firearms, but large sections of the record remain blacked out.
Police findings
A sworn officer report written by RCMP Const. Jonathan Paquin notes that Van Rootselaar was known to local law enforcement and that his fascination with guns was documented before the attack. The report also records that the shooter, who identified as female, was the eldest child in the family and that the household contained unsecured firearms.
According to the court files, the violence began at the family home where Van Rootselaar killed their mother, 39‑year‑old Jennifer Strang, and stepbrother, 11‑year‑old Emmett Jacobs. Details about the four guns found at the residence are redacted, leaving unanswered questions about how the teenager obtained the weapons and whether any of them were used in the school attack.
The school shooting claimed the lives of five children, Kylie May Smith, Ticaria Lampert, Zoey Benoit, Abel Mwansa and Ezekiel Schofield, and one educator, Shannda Aviugana‑Durand. Body‑camera footage from the responding officer and CCTV inside the school captured the incident, but the released documents provide only limited context, with 80 witness statements obscured by black ink.
AI platform scrutiny
Investigators have also focused on online activity preceding the tragedy. The FBI alerted the RCMP that two ChatGPT accounts, hosted by OpenAI, were believed to have been used by Van Rootselaar. OpenAI disabled the accounts but did not inform law enforcement at the time. The content of the conversations remains sealed.
In July, the government of British Columbia announced it has retained counsel to explore legal action against OpenAI for failing to notify authorities of the threat. The province has engaged CFM Lawyers in Vancouver and the California firm Stranch, Jennings & Garvey to assess possible claims.
At the federal level, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Evan Solomon, Canada's AI minister, unveiled an AI strategy that includes new data‑centre investments, limits on controversial surveillance pricing and broader adoption across industry and government. The same month, Canada introduced online harms legislation that would require social media platforms to restrict users under 16, though it stops short of imposing similar duties on AI chatbot providers.
Authorities argue that keeping certain details confidential is intended to prevent copycat attacks, yet they have offered no concrete evidence that disclosure would increase risk. With no criminal trial, coroner's inquest or public inquiry scheduled, families and community members continue to demand fuller answers.
Based on reporting by Global News.