Community Reacts to Tragic Shooting in Tumbler Ridge
The small Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge is grappling with shock and disbelief following a shooting incident that resulted in nine fatalities and at least 25 injuries at a local secondary school and a nearby residence.
Located 415 miles (667 km) northeast of Vancouver, this remote community of approximately 2,500 residents experienced a lockdown during the event, with many unaware of the full scale of the situation as it unfolded.
Residents emphasized the close-knit nature of the town and the profound impact the tragedy will have on the community.
"I will know every victim. I've been here 19 years, and we're a small community,"
town mayor Darryl Krakowka told Canadian broadcaster CBC.
"I don't call them residents. I call them family,"
he added.
Personal Accounts from Town Officials
Chris Norbury, a town councillor, was directly affected by the incident. His wife is a teacher at the secondary school, his daughter attends a nearby elementary school, and he works at the visitor centre just a block away from the school.
Speaking to the BBC World Service's Newsday programme, Norbury described the anxiety and fear he experienced while awaiting news of his wife’s safety.
He first became aware of the situation when his daughter’s school went into lockdown. Although he managed to contact his wife initially, he lost communication after receiving an emergency alert about an active shooter.
"We just had to speculate and jump into social media to see what was going on - there was a lot of speculation... but being who I am I just wanted to stay calm as best I could and wait for the facts,"
Norbury said.
"It was terrifying, it's hard to put into words the dread and the fear that you feel knowing that a loved one is in danger,"
he added.
During this time, Norbury observed emergency vehicles, including helicopters, arriving and departing from the school and a nearby medical centre.
Student Experience During Lockdown
Darian Quist, a grade 12 student at the school, recounted his experience during the lockdown. He was in a classroom with a teacher and approximately 15 other students when the alarm sounded. He believes the shooting occurred in a different part of the school.
Quist and his classmates remained in the classroom until police escorted them out.
"For a while I didn't think anything was going on, but once everything was circulating and we realised something was wrong we got tables and barricaded the doors, and I believe we sat in there for two or two-and-a-half hours,"
he told CBC.
The atmosphere was tense and nervous. Quist received "disturbing" photos from others, depicting blood and related scenes.
"I think that's when it all set in,"
he said.
His mother, Shelley Quist, was working at the local hospital during the incident. She learned about the shooter approximately 30 minutes after the lockdown began, maintaining phone contact with her son throughout.
"It's just one of those things when you just think it's never going to happen,"
she said, adding:
"Panic was setting in until I laid eyes on [Darian]."
Aftermath and Community Impact
Norbury reported that it was not until after 17:00 local time—around three and a half hours after the lockdown started—that individuals began to be released from the school and he confirmed his wife’s safety.
"Organised chaos" described the departure process, according to Quist.
"Professionalism definitely took hold,"
he said.
Despite the release, the full extent of the tragedy was not immediately known until casualty figures were disclosed.
"A lot of people are shaken up right now, especially when we were told the true numbers,"
Darian Quist said.
Although the victims’ names have not been released, it is evident the entire town has been deeply affected.
Norbury reflected on the possibility of knowing some of the children involved.
"I was a children's librarian for 10 years, and knowing that these children that I likely knew, that I likely read to... these are our friends, our friends' children have been injured, lost their life, and we just have to think how to come together as a community and rely upon each other for support,"
he said.
He emphasized the rarity of such incidents in the town.
"Crime is incredibly low here, we've never had anything like this before. It's an incredible shock that anything like this could happen. We're such a tight-knit community, we're really like a family here."
Norbury also considered the long-term effects on the community.
"How many people will be afraid to go to school? How many will this affect for the rest of their lives? And it absolutely will, that's my fear,"
he said.
"If I could talk to those people, I'd say, don't let this define you. Please get help when you need help. We are strong and we are resilient and we will get through this."
