A disturbing pre-attack video has resurfaced online, showing Jesse Van Rootselaar — the 18-year-old responsible for the February 11, 2026, mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia — calmly firing a powerful Desert Eagle handgun while wearing a black hoodie emblazoned with the words “massacre tour” in large white letters. The footage, believed to have been recorded several months before the tragedy, captures Van Rootselaar in an isolated rural area, likely near her Tumbler Ridge home, methodically discharging multiple rounds with steady precision. The powerful handgun’s recoil is absorbed without visible flinch, and the “massacre tour” text remains prominently visible throughout.

The clip, pulled from archived social media or private shares, has no accompanying audio, yet the deliberate, almost ritualistic nature of the shooting practice has left investigators, mental health experts, and the public deeply unsettled. Authorities have not confirmed whether the firearm shown is one of the two weapons recovered from the crime scenes: a long gun and a modified handgun used in the attacks that killed eight people, including Van Rootselaar’s mother and 11-year-old stepbrother earlier that day, before she took her own life at the school.

Van Rootselaar, who publicly identified as female on social media after beginning to transition approximately six years earlier, had a documented history of mental health challenges and repeated police contact. RCMP records indicate multiple wellness checks at the family residence due to expressed concerns, and she had previously possessed a valid firearms license that was later revoked or allowed to lapse. Court documents and digital footprints reveal she had dropped out of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School around four years prior to the attack, yet chose to return there armed and ready to kill.

The rampage unfolded in two phases. First, at the family home, Van Rootselaar fatally shot her 39-year-old mother, Jennifer Strang, and her 11-year-old stepbrother. She then drove to the school she once attended, entering during regular classes and opening fire primarily in the library and adjacent hallways. Among the dead were five children — three 12-year-old girls and two boys aged 12 and 13 — plus a 39-year-old female teacher and two other adults. Twenty-five people were wounded, several critically, with reports of students barricading classroom doors, hiding under desks, and texting frantic messages to parents: “I love you,” “There’s shooting,” “I’m hiding.” One 12-year-old girl was shot in the head while attempting to lock a door to protect her classmates.

The “massacre tour” hoodie has become a focal point of online discussion and speculation. Some link the phrase to dark internet subcultures, ironic band merchandise, or memes glorifying violence; others see it as a deliberate, taunting statement of intent. Combined with the practice video, it raises urgent questions about missed warning signs. Van Rootselaar’s online activity included accounts on platforms like Roblox featuring violent simulation games, posts expressing frustration about her physical appearance and identity struggles, and fixation on firearms and extremist themes.

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald confirmed the suspect acted alone, with no evidence of accomplices or a recovered manifesto outlining ideological motives. The attacks rank as Canada’s deadliest school-related incident since the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal and among the country’s worst mass shootings overall since the 2020 Nova Scotia rampage that claimed 22 lives.

Tumbler Ridge, a remote coal-mining community of roughly 2,400 residents, has been plunged into collective mourning. Memorials of flowers, teddy bears, candles, and handwritten notes have appeared outside the school and family home. A silent procession drew hundreds through snow-covered streets, ending in quiet grief at the barricaded school entrance. Vigils continue as funerals begin for the victims, many of them children who should have been safe in class.

Survivors recount harrowing details: gunfire echoing through hallways, hiding in utility closets, texting parents desperate goodbyes. One student’s brother called from a locked room, whispering he was hiding and did not know if his sister was alive. The psychological toll on the community is immense, with mental health resources stretched thin in this isolated area.

The resurfaced video and hoodie have reignited national debates on several fronts: gun access in rural Canada despite strict licensing laws, enforcement of revoked permits, early intervention for troubled youth, mental health support in remote communities, and the role of social media in amplifying violent fantasies. Gun control advocates highlight gaps in monitoring high-risk individuals, while mental health experts call for better screening and resources in places like Tumbler Ridge, where isolation can exacerbate crises.

Police continue analyzing devices for clearer motives beyond personal grievances and mental health struggles. No suicide note or explicit manifesto has been found, leaving many questions unanswered. For grieving families — parents burying children who left for school that morning — the practice video is a painful symbol of opportunities lost: a troubled teen openly rehearsing destruction, wearing her intent on her sleeve, yet slipping through every safety net until it was too late.

As Tumbler Ridge begins the long road to healing, the image of Jesse Van Rootselaar firing that Desert Eagle — clad in a shirt proclaiming “massacre tour” — remains seared into public consciousness. It serves as a stark warning: warning signs are often visible, sometimes literal, yet too frequently ignored until the silence after the gunfire is all that remains.