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Premier David Eby says the police investigation into the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting is in its final stages.
Eby offered the update during a meeting with Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka almost three months after Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people, including six schoolchildren, then herself.
The premier said RCMP told the Ministry of Public Safety that the police investigation is coming to an end.
“They didn’t share a timeline, or how much time was left in the investigation, but just that it is in its final stages, and we will watch very carefully, and hopefully, we will see an update from them soon,” Eby said on Wednesday.
The premier said he had shared that information with Krakowka before meeting with reporters in the premier’s office.
Chief Coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan last month announced an inquest into the shooting, saying that his office would announce more details about the timing and location after police finish their investigation.
Krakowka says he has spent several days in Victoria meeting with provincial officials to make sure that his community has the resources that it needs.
“We are about 2,600 people in Tumbler Ridge,” he said. “I think it’s important to come down and speak on behalf of the community.
“I support my community. I fight for my community, whether that’s with government or other agencies.”
He says the provincial government has been supportive of Tumbler Ridge since the first day, with resources that include mental health professionals who have been helping residents cope with the shock and grief in the small northeastern B.C. community.
People in Tumbler Ridge are grieving in a variety of ways in a process that Krakowka said will take a long time.
“Some have started grieving … and some others haven’t,” Krakowka said.
“It was Feb. 10. It feels like yesterday to me, but it has been a few months. But our youth are strong. The children are strong there. I think they have a different outlook than us as adults,” he said.
RCMP on Thursday identified the six children and two adults shot and killed in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. Six of the victims — Zoey Benoit, Ticaria Lampert, Abel Mwansa, Ezekiel Schofield, Kylie Smith and Shannda Aviugana-Durand — were found inside a high school, and two — Emmett Jacobs and Jennifer Strang, identified by police using her legal name, Jennifer Jacobs — were found inside a home. (CORRECTION: Feb. 13, 2026 | Emmett Jacobs is described in this video as Jesse Van Rootselaar’s stepbrother. In fact, Emmett’s father has since confirmed he was Van Rootselaar’s half-brother.)
Call for public inquiry
The meeting came amid continuing calls from the Conservative Party of B.C. for a full public inquiry.
Peace River-South MLA Larry Neufeld, who represents Tumbler Ridge in the legislature, repeated the call just before Eby and Krakowka met with the media.
“I’m demanding that the premier commit to what the people of Tumbler Ridge deserve, and that is a public inquiry,” he said.
Claire Rattee, the Opposition critic for mental health and addictions, said during the same news conference that a full public inquiry would have a broader scope than an inquest. It would go beyond the facts behind the deaths, assign blame and look at larger systems, she said.
“I think what needs to be answered right now is what failed within these systems,” she said.
“We know that this is a community that hasn’t had adequate access to health-care services in general, but certainly around mental health care and support for mental illness.”
A key NDP election promise was to have a mental health counsellor in every school. This issue has taken on new urgency in light of last month’s school shooting in Tumbler Ridge. The CBC’s Katie DeRosa talks to one Tumbler Ridge family about why it would make a difference.
Eby said on Wednesday that the coroner’s inquest will offer valuable insights, but he has also said government will use all available tools to answer any outstanding questions.
Last month, Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger said a joint commission with the federal government could look into the shooting without committing to it.
Krakowka said it will be up to government whether to call a public inquiry following the inquest.
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