If we know one thing about spree killings, it's that time is of the essence - specifically, the time it takes to face the attacker with potentially lethal force. The worst spree killings are the ones - Columbine, Uvalde, Parkland, Pulse Nightclub - where it takes the police two-digit minutes, or over an hour in some cases, to get in the shooters' faces with enough force, or potential force, to shake them out of their dream state; while there's no "best" spree killing, the ones where someone, police or civilian, gets a gun in the shooters face literally and figuratively are the ones where the fatalities fall well short of the shooters' plans.
So - what happened in Tumbler Ridge?
According to Beege's story on Wednesday, the local cops and a small local detachment of Mounties were on the scene quickly:
Officials said the town's small police force was on the scene within two minutes of receiving a call, and that victims were still being assessed hours after the incident.
"This is a small, tight-knit community with a small RCMP detachment as well, who responded in two minutes, no doubt saving lives today," Nina Krieger, British Columbia's public safety minister, told reporters.
But it took longer than that to get to all of the corners of the school - according to the New York Times, much longer:
Jarbas Noronha was teaching his 12th grade auto mechanic shop class how to change oil Tuesday at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Students with good attendance are sometimes allowed to work on their own vehicles, and one student went to the parking lot to fetch his car.
He instead came back saying he heard gunshots outside, Mr. Noronha said. About two minutes later, the school’s principal, Stacie Gruntman, came to the door of the shop, shouting “Lockdown!”...“We were in the safest part of the school,” he said in a phone interview. “If someone tried to break in through the hallway door, we would run to the yard through the garage doors.”
Mr. Noronha said he kept his eye on a large wall clock in the shop. His class stayed in the garage for more than two hours until police officers knocked on the garage door and escorted them to the school’s recreational center.
As to the shooter...
Transgender 17-year old Jesse Strang identified as the school shooter in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, killing 10 people and injuring 30+.
— Chris Goodwin 😎 (@ChrisGoodwin79) February 11, 2026
The shooter was originally described as a “woman in a dress.” Police are referring to the shooter as a “gunperson” who died at the scene. 🇨🇦🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/UV5jDqU8HW
...there was a certain...predictability in how he was introduced to the world:
When they say the shooter is a "female in a dress", right away any reasonable person is skeptical. Exceedingly few actual women are mass shooters.
— The Heretical Liberal 🇨🇦 (@Rob_ThaBuilder) February 11, 2026
When thwy called the shooter the "gunperson" the gig was up. It is not prejudice to notice patterns
🚨 BREAKING: 10 people are dead, 25 injured after a “woman wearing a dress” opened fire on a school in British Columbia, Canada
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 11, 2026
Local police are referring to the shooter as a “gunperson.”
Yeah, we all know this is yet another trans mass shooter. pic.twitter.com/McA9C0nmcc
I must confess, the first headline I saw related to the shooting referred to "a woman in a dress", the sort of stilted rhetorical affordance that pretty much screams "read between the lines".
How screwed is Canada.
— We're Offended You're Offended (@wereoffended) February 11, 2026
A mass shooting, and the police call it a "gunperson" 10 people are dead, and you're worried about this psychopath's gender identity???
This only confirms it was a deranged trans shooter.
It's not funny - but it truly begs for satire:
Canadian Reporterperson Announces Policepersons Have Identified Gunperson https://t.co/UZ5rnm8VI4 pic.twitter.com/TCPnHZx4cr
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) February 11, 2026
As another wag on X noted, this is the sort of thing that swings elections.
