Bold opening: A public tragedy demands clear answers, and British Columbia’s chief coroner is poised to speak today about last month’s mass killings in Tumbler Ridge.
BC’s chief coroner, Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, will announce his office’s findings this morning at the legislature in Victoria, as pressure grows for a formal public investigation.
Premier David Eby has indicated the government will use every available tool to ensure all questions surrounding the incident are resolved. He stated that there will be either a coroner’s inquest or a public inquiry once police complete their work.
The events unfolded on February 10 when Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and her 11-year-old half-brother at their home, then shot and killed five students and a teacher’s aide at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School before taking her own life.
Across party lines, federal Conservative MPs have joined calls for an independent investigation. Bob Zimmer, the MP for the region that includes Tumbler Ridge in northeastern BC, emphasized that grieving families deserve answers about the shooter’s mental health and access to firearms, as well as considerations regarding artificial intelligence and the protection of victims’ families.
Additionally, it’s been reported that Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account was flagged internally for concerning content and was shut down by OpenAI last June; however, police were not notified at that time.
For more BC updates, see Castanet’s coverage: https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/
