Tumbler Ridge is the type of town where everyone knows everyone. And this small mountain community is reeling from one of Canada’s worst school shootings in decades, a place where, as Mayor Darryl Krakowka said, “everyone is going to grieve.”
At least eight people were killed and dozens more injured on Tuesday when an 18-year-old suspect killed his mother and stepbrother before going to the town’s middle school, killing at least five children and a teacher. Police named the alleged shooter as Jesse Van Luetzeler, a transgender man who transitioned about six years ago.
In the days since, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has released the names of the victims, and parents, family and friends have paid their respects to their loved ones.
Here’s everything we know about them.
Just a few weeks ago, Abel Mwansa’s father filmed a short video of his son playing with his mobile phone in a restaurant, then looked up at the camera and smiled broadly.
Abel, who is 12 years old and will turn 13 next month, loved school so much that he cried when his father suggested he be homeschooled.
Abel, who immigrated to Canada from Zambia with his family in 2023, loved experimenting and likely had a “bright future” as a “leader, engineer (or scientist),” his father, Abel Mwansa Sr., said in a series of Facebook posts.
“We happened to have a baby boy, so we were very excited,” Mwansa Sr. told CBC. “In the end, I gave him my name.”
Ezekiel Schofield was 13 years old when he was murdered. For his grandfather Peter, “everything feels very surreal.”
“Tears continue to flow,” he posted on Facebook. “So many young lives were needlessly lost. Our hearts break not only for Ezikiel, but for all the families affected by this tragedy.”
In a statement released by the RCMP, Kylie Smith’s family said she was a talented artist who dreamed of attending art school in Toronto.
“She was such a beautiful soul. She loved art and anime. She wanted to go to school in Toronto and we loved her so much. She was so energetic in high school,” her father, Lance Young, told CTV News. “She never hurt anyone’s soul.”
Kylie’s 15-year-old brother, Ethan, survived the shooting by hiding in a utility closet, Young said.
“For whatever reason, I watched them walk in the door together and soaked in the moment,” he added. “I didn’t know it would be the last time.”
Zoe Benoit’s family said in a statement released by RCMP that she was “resilient, energetic, smart, compassionate and the strongest girl ever.”
They added that she loved spending time with her family and “brought a lot of laughter and smiles in her presence.”
Tikalia Lampert was nicknamed “Tiki Torch,” a play on her name and her penchant for “always going on adventures to brighten someone’s day,” her mother, Sarah, told reporters Thursday.
One of eight children, she is the “glue” of the family, allowing her to “mature” like her older brothers and “like Tarzan” with her younger siblings, her mother tearfully added.
She was “the worst of fools” with “a Santa bag of every bad dad joke you could think of,” Lampert said.
“She wasn’t in a hurry to grow up,” Lampert added. “She’ll be my baby forever.”
Shanda Aviugana-Durand, 39 years old
Shanda Aviugana Durand, who worked at the school, was also among the dead. She belonged to the BC General Employees Union, which represents thousands of workers in British Columbia, and the union confirmed her death.
“We would like to pay our respects to her family and will share further information as needed,” they added.
“We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and everyone whose life touched her.”
Police say the suspected shooter’s mother, Jennifer Jacobs, was found dead in her Tumbler Ridge home.
A CNN review found that she used a different name on social media: Jennifer Strang.
In a 2015 family dispute ruling, the judge said that with her children, she lived a “nearly nomadic life” from 2010 to 2015, moving numerous times between Grand Cache, Newfoundland, and Powell River, British Columbia.
Emmett Jacobs, 11, was also found dead at the residence. Police said he was the alleged gunman’s brother-in-law.
