Canada is in a state of shock following the massacre that occurred Tuesday in the small mountain community of Tumbler Ridge, in northeastern British Columbia, where at least nine people lost their lives and another 25 were injured during violent incidents at a middle school and a house in the area. Authorities believe the two incidents are connected, while efforts are focused on confirming and publicly releasing the identity of the perpetrator, who was also found dead—likely from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Information circulated in international media outlets (such as the BBC) and later confirmed by local authorities stated that the armed attack was carried out by a female figure with brown hair who was wearing a dress, at around 1:20 p.m. local time.

At the same time, reports from the local independent outlet Juno News claim that the suspect was identified by a close relative as Jesse Strang. The outlet contacted Russell G. Strang directly, who stated that he is Jesse’s uncle and confirmed that his relative was a transgender individual and responsible for the attack that claimed the lives of 10 people, including the suspect. A public YouTube account believed to belong to Jesse Strang displays the transgender pride flag and uses the pronouns “she/her.”

Authorities say they are aware of the suspect’s identity but are not yet releasing further details. Police representatives note that there has been no official confirmation regarding the gender or full identity of the perpetrator.

In an earlier press conference, the commander of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s North District, Chief Superintendent Ken Floyd, confirmed that the individual found dead at the school was the same person described in an emergency alert sent to residents’ mobile phones. In that alert, the suspect was described as a “woman with brown hair wearing a dress.”

The alleged perpetrator was found dead inside the school, with a wound that, according to authorities, was self-inflicted. Police officials noted that it has not yet been clarified what relationship the suspect had with the school, and they declined to answer whether the individual was a minor.

Timeline of the attack

The attack unfolded early Tuesday afternoon, when police units arrived at the community’s high school—serving a population of just 2,400 residents—and found six people dead and dozens injured. One more victim succumbed to their injuries while being transported to the hospital. Authorities believe the perpetrator also killed two additional people at a residence in the area, where their bodies were discovered.

Two of the injured were airlifted to a hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, while approximately 25 others received medical treatment at a local health center.

Police have not released the names of the victims and declined to specify how many of the deceased were children. “At this time, we are not in a position to understand the why or what the motive behind this tragedy may have been,” Ken Floyd said. “I believe it will be difficult for us to determine the ‘why,’ but we will make every possible effort to establish exactly what happened,” he added.

Mass shootings remain a rare occurrence in Canada, a country with stricter gun laws compared to the United States, and attacks of this scale in a school setting are considered almost unprecedented.