When Canadian authorities announced that a mass shooter in a dress had opened fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, the initial assumption was that the assailant was "female."
See: Mass Shooting in British Columbia Leaves Nine People Dead
Very quickly, though, things started to trend in another direction. The first clue involved local authorities oddly describing the shooter as a "gunperson" instead of a "gunman." That's not a descriptor I've ever heard before in that context, and it appeared to be an attempt to avoid "misgendering" the shooter.
🚨 BREAKING: Trans shooter opens fire in Canada — 10 dead, 25+ wounded
— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) February 11, 2026
Police are so terrified of "misgendering" they’re calling the suspect a “gun-person” instead of gunman.
This is peak insanity. pic.twitter.com/2zpvSIVIRp
OFFICIAL: That includes the deceased gunperson. Okay, and do you know the gunperson's relationship to...
Shortly after that, more information started to trickle out, with multiple right-wing sources in Canada, including Rebel News, reporting that the shooter was a trans-identifying male named "Jesse Strang."
B.C. Trans Shooter?
— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) February 11, 2026
CORRECTION:
After speaking with Tumbler Ridge Secondary parents, the alleged shooter has been identified as Jesse Strang (used she/her pronouns). I’m told Jesse’s mother, Jennifer Strang, seen below, was the first victim 😔.
A verified parent source… pic.twitter.com/7IhO6pwR4c
Further confirmation came when CTV, one of Canada's largest news networks, independently verified that "Jesse Strang," who committed suicide after the attack, was indeed the shooter.
He reportedly had a YouTube channel in which his avatar included an SKS rifle and a transgender flag, with his pronouns listed as "she/her." One video from the channel, which has since been taken down by YouTube, showed him laughing maniacally. He was also allegedly active on Reddit, posting in transgender and drug-related subreddits. In one post, the account linked to the shooter (jesseboy347) claimed to have burned his house down while on mushrooms.
YouTube has nuked the 'JessJess347' account, likely confirming that it was used by shooter Jesse Strang. Here are some screen shots I grabbed yesterday night before the account was wiped: pic.twitter.com/35zkak8vPD
— James McDaniel (@JamesMcDaniel) February 11, 2026
Jesse Strang says he burned his house down while on mushrooms and was arrested for arson. pic.twitter.com/6HArwovAAB
— Billboard Chris 🌎 (@BillboardChris) February 11, 2026
This was clearly a deeply disturbed individual, and according to Facebook posts allegedly made by his mother in 2015, he had a long history of behavioral issues.
Jesse strang, and he had behavioural issues since 7 years old. pic.twitter.com/1Z3mut97c3
— Wailing mandrake (@MandrakeWail) February 11, 2026
On Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement officials released the shooter's legal name, Jesse Van Rootselaar. The shooter's mother's last name is Strang, and he was mistakenly initially identified by her last name. As expected, they also confirmed that the shooter was transgender, stating he had "transitioned" to female some years prior and had been "assigned male at birth."
This suspect is believed to have acted alone; “there are currently no outstanding suspects,” McDonald said.
McDonald said the suspect was born biological male and transitioned to female a few years ago. She had an expired firearms license, he said.
Despite that information, authorities are still referring to him as female. During the latest Royal Canadian Mounted Police press conference, a reporter repeatedly referred to Strang with male pronouns, causing the official to quickly jump in to claim the suspect "is identified as an 18-year-old female."
RCMP call Jesse Strang, the 18-year-old trans shooter in Tumbler Ridge, BC a "female" as they confirm their belief he "acted alone."
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 11, 2026
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald adds police have visited the family home in the past, noting some calls involved mental health issues. pic.twitter.com/0nIO9dN3dE
None of this is surprising given Canada's largely absurd political leanings, especially regarding issues like transgenderism, but it's still jarring to witness. It goes without saying that government authorities should not be misleading the public about something as basic as the sex of the shooter.
While there's still more to learn, this appears to fit the recent trend of trans-identifying individuals committing mass shootings. People who clearly needed real help were instead affirmed, while their mental illness flourished. How many more people need to die before those in power stop this madness and start speaking the truth? Judging by how the Canadian authorities are responding, the answer is, unfortunately, not zero.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This piece was edited post-publication to clarify why the shooter's last name was originally reported as Strang.)
Join the conversation as a VIP Member