British Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Wendy Cocchia, opened the new legislative session with a solemn tribute to the victims of Tuesday’s mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, as police released further details about the tragedy that has shaken the small northeastern B.C. community.

The shooting unfolded Tuesday at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and at a nearby home on Fellers Avenue, leaving nine people dead in one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history.

British Columbia RCMP have identified the suspect as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar. Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said the suspect was found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School alongside a teacher and five students. Van Rootselaar’s mother and stepbrother were found dead at the family’s home.

McDonald said the suspect was assigned male at birth and was transitioning.

RCMP have now identified all eight victims.

Six of those killed were found inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School:

• Abel Mwansa, 12, a student

• Ezekiel Schofield, 13, a student

• Kylie Smith, 12, a student

• Zoey Benoit, 12, a student

• Ticaria Lampert, 12, a student

• Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39, an educator

Two additional victims were found inside the home on Fellers Avenue:

• Emmett Jacobs, 11, identified as the stepbrother of the suspect

• Jennifer Jacobs, 39, the suspect’s mother, who was also known as Jennifer Strang

A memorial of candles, flowers and photographs has grown outside the secondary school as residents gather to grieve.

Delivering the Speech from the Throne from the sacred territories of the Lekwungen, Songhees and Esquimalt peoples, Cocchia began the legislative session by acknowledging the profound sorrow felt across British Columbia.

“We begin this session with heavy hearts,” she said, offering respect, compassion and sympathy to the victims, their loved ones and the tight-knit community facing what she described as “unimaginable pain.”

Cocchia said the people of Tumbler Ridge are “wrapped in the caring compassion of an entire province and a country that mourns alongside them.” She expressed gratitude to first responders, health-care workers, teachers and school staff whose “courage and swift action helped save lives,” calling their service a reflection of the very best of British Columbia.

“In times of sorrow, British Columbians come together,” she said. “May we carry that spirit forward, supporting the community and one another in the days and months ahead.”

Speaking personally, Cocchia added her own message of love and support, echoing sentiments shared by King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Governor General Mary Simon.

“As a mother, it’s absolutely impossible to comprehend the pain and the sorrow that people are experiencing,” she said. “Nobody thinks for a moment that you will send your child or your loved one off in the morning and that they will not return. My heart aches for everyone in this situation.”

She again thanked emergency personnel and health-care workers for their response.

Cocchia also shared a message from Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darrell Krakowka, who has been asked repeatedly how others can help the grieving community.

“He said, so many times, you can offer a hug,” she told the legislature. “At a time of deep grief, often we retreat and we withdraw. But what often helps the healing process as well is connectivity.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to visit Tumbler Ridge and attend a vigil tomorrow. His office said Carney was invited by Mayor Krakowka and has extended an invitation to all federal party leaders to join him in the community as it mourns.

The emotional opening of the legislative session set a sombre tone at the legislature, as British Columbia — and the country — continues to grapple with the loss of eight lives and rally around a community facing unimaginable grief.

Click here for a list of fundraisers surrounding Tumbler Ridge.