Jared Evan

(TJVNEWS) Canadian authorities are investigating whether virulent anti-Jewish hatred and online extremism fueled a horrific mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia that left eight people dead, including students and family members of the suspect.

Law enforcement officials have not formally released the identity of the shooter, stating only that the suspect was an 18-year-old female with brown hair wearing a dress. However, several Canadian media outlets have reported that the alleged gunman was a transgender teenager.

The Western Standard and Juno News identified the suspect as Jesse Strang, citing information they said came from a close family member. Authorities have not confirmed that name, and other media outlets noted they could not independently verify the reports.

According to those same reports, a public YouTube channel believed to belong to the suspect displayed a transgender pride flag and listed pronouns as “she/her.”

Meanwhile, World Israel News reported that investigators are examining whether online radicalization and antisemitic rhetoric played a direct role in the bloodshed.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said the 18-year-old suspect had posted disturbing messages on social media shortly before the attack. Two days prior to the shooting, the suspect allegedly wrote, “I need to hate Jews.” In another post, the individual reportedly referenced “Zionists” while attempting to rationalize that hatred.

The shooting rampage claimed the lives of a 39-year-old teacher and five students between the ages of 12 and 13 at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Police also confirmed that the suspect fatally shot two family members at home — the suspect’s mother and 11-year-old stepbrother — before carrying out the school attack. The suspect later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The ADL further reported that an individual identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar appeared active on an online platform known for graphic violent content and previously associated with other mass-casualty attacks. Analysts believe the suspect also maintained an account on X that repeatedly shared antisemitic and racist material and praised prior attackers, including the perpetrator of the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting and the gunman behind the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacre in Christchurch.

According to researchers cited by the ADL, one profile image allegedly blended the face of the Christchurch attacker with a Sonnenrad symbol — commonly associated with neo-Nazi ideology — alongside a transgender pride flag. Extremism experts said such imagery reflects the increasingly blended and hybrid nature of radical online spaces.

Police in British Columbia emphasized that no official motive has been established and that the investigation remains active. Authorities confirmed the suspect had left school roughly four years earlier and had minimal recent contact with the local community.

Extremism researchers noted that the case appears consistent with a troubling pattern of young attackers allegedly influenced by online hate ecosystems that mix racial extremism, antisemitism, and nihilistic violence.

As investigators continue to piece together what led to one of Canada’s deadliest recent school shootings, questions are mounting over how extremist ideology — including explicit anti-Jewish rhetoric — may have intersected with the suspect’s online identity and personal turmoil in the days leading up to the massacre.