MP Recounts 12-Year-Old's Heroism in BC School Shooting

In the aftermath of a tragic mass shooting that claimed eight lives in the small community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, a local member of Parliament has shared a poignant account of heroism by a 12-year-old girl who tried to shield two wounded classmates. Bob Zimmer, the Conservative MP representing the area, recounted the story during a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Ottawa on Tuesday.

The incident unfolded on February 10, 2026, when 18-year-old Jesse van Van Rootselaar fatally shot her mother and half-brother at their home in Tumbler Ridge, a remote town in northeastern British Columbia. She then proceeded to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she killed five students and a teacher's aide before taking her own life. The attack left the tight-knit community reeling, with funerals held in the weeks that followed.

Zimmer highlighted the actions of one student, identified as Christina, who acted swiftly amid the chaos at the school. After gunfire erupted, Christina dragged her two 12-year-old classmates, Abel Mwansa Jr. and Maya Gebala, under a table for cover. Both boys had been shot, and Zimmer described how Mwansa died in Christina's arms approximately 30...