Canadian Mass Shooter Confirmed Transgender — Social Media Footprint Shows Path To Radicalization
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed Wednesday that the suspect involved in one of the deadliest school shootings in Canadian history was trans.
RCMP provided an update on the tragic shooting that shook the country that left nine people dead and 27 injured in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, on Tuesday, confirming the identity of the suspected shooter as 18-year-old local resident Jesse Van Rootselaar, according to CBC News.
Initial reports described the shooter as a woman with brown hair, wearing a dress.
Authorities confirmed Van Rootselaar was a biological male and began transitioning to a female about six years ago. The timeline suggests that Van Rootselaar began his gender transition when he was just 12 years old.
UPDATE: Neighbors say ‘trans man’ suspected in Tumbler Ridge massacre that left 10 dead https://t.co/TLN8dE30SD
– Western Standard (@WSOnlineNews) February 11, 2026
The social media footprint allegedly linked to Van Rootselaar shows a dangerous, downward path to radicalization.
Police confirmed Van Rootselaar’s mother, Jennifer Strang, and his 11-year-old half-brother were killed in the attack. Purported screenshots of Jennifer Strang’s Facebook page show her linking to it:[son’s] …YouTube Channel”, jesseboy347. The account name appears to have later been changed to “JessJess347”.
The YouTube account features the transgender flag and uses “she/her” pronouns.
The profile image is an anime figure against a backdrop of transgender pride, next to an SKS rifle.
Juno News claimed the channel only featured one public post, uploaded six months before the shooting. The message read: “I’ve been pretty aimless.” (RELATED: Worst mass shooting in decades reportedly leaves 9 dead, dozens injured in Canada)
A Reddit account with a similar username, jesseboy347, described identity issues and biological confusion.
In a now-deleted 2023 post, jesseboy347 described an obsession with anime and a frustration with body image.
“How do I stop comparing myself to fictional characters? »wrote the individual.
“I’m trans MtF, I’m 15 pre-HRT and I’ve been watching a lot of anime related content recently, I never liked it before. The characters are still so cute!”
The post continues: “I’m super skinny, so that makes me feel good sometimes! But I’m pre-HRT and my expectations are minimal in terms of chest growth, and I’m 6’2”! Why can’t I be short and petite?
It is unclear why the messages, visible Wednesday morning, were removed from the Internet.
Jennifer identified Jesse on her purported Facebook page with his last name, Strang, rather than Van Rootselaar. Juno News said it spoke to Russell G. Strang, who claimed to be the uncle of “Jesse Strang” and said his nephew was responsible for the mass shooting.
I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. My prayers and deepest condolences go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence.
I join Canadians in mourning those whose lives have been changed…
–Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) February 11, 2026
RCMP also said during their news conference that Van Rootselaar had a history of mental health issues and that there had been previous calls to the home.
