A mindless shooter wreaked havoc on a Canadian school on Wednesday when he shot dead six people and another three at a different location.
Ten people, including the suspected gunman, were killed following the mass shooting at the northern British Columbia community of Tumbler Ridge, Canadian authorities said on Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said officers responded to reports of an active shooter at a local school at approximately 1:20 p.m. local time (2020 GMT).
The alert remained in place for just over four hours before being officially lifted.
In a statement, Tumbler Ridge RCMP said officers discovered multiple victims while conducting a search of the school.
“An individual believed to be the shooter was also found dead with what appears to be a self-inflicted injury,” police said.
Six other people were found dead inside the school, in addition to the suspected attacker.
Two victims were airlifted to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, while a third person died while being transported to hospital, police said.
Approximately 25 others were assessed at a local medical centre for non-life-threatening injuries.
RCMP North District Commander Ken Floyd told a news conference that two additional victims were found deceased at a secondary location believed to be connected to the incident.
“We are not in a place now to be able to understand why and what may have motivated this tragedy. This was a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation,” Floyd said.
Authorities are yet to release the identities of the victims or the suspected gunman.
The investigation remains ongoing as police work to determine the circumstances surrounding the shootings.
