CANADIAN POLICE IDENTIFY SUSPECT FROM DEADLY SCHOOL SHOOTING, REVISE DEATH TOLL

HAMILTON (Canada), Feb 12 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Canadian security officials on Wednesday identified the suspect in a deadly school shooting in British Columbia as an 18-year-old teenager named Jesse Van Rootselaar, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

British Columbia (BC) Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, during a press conference in Surrey, also corrected earlier information regarding the number of fatalities.

"I'd like to correct some information that was shared yesterday and to clarify that nine people in total are deceased as a result of this incident," McDonald said, revising the earlier death toll of 10, including the suspect.

He confirmed that a female victim who was initially believed to have died is still alive, adding that she is one of the two female victims who were airlifted to the hospital. Both victims remain in serious condition.

Meanwhile, McDonald said there was a history of police attendance at the suspect’s family residence, adding that "some of those calls were related to mental health issues."

When asked about the suspect's gender identity, he said Van Rootselaar was born as a biological male who began transitioning to female approximately six years ago and identified as female, both socially and publicly.

McDonald added that the suspect “dropped out of school approximately four years ago and was not currently attending the school.”

Police had earlier said that the suspect was found dead inside the school from a self-inflicted injury.

He further confirmed that two victims found at a local residence were related to the suspect, noting that "the female adult victim is the mother of the suspect, and the youth male is the stepbrother," he said.

Sergeant Vanessa Munn of BC RCMP Media Relations also said the victims at the school included "a 39-year-old female educator, three 12-year-old female students, two male students, ages 12 and 13."

The two additional victims at the residence were "a 39-year-old female and an 11-year-old male," she said.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack.

Following the tragic shooting, Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered all flags on government buildings across the country to be flown at half-mast.

In the House of Commons, Carney, along with all lawmakers, held a moment of silence to honour the victims of the mass shooting.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU