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NP View: Tumbler Ridge murderer was given a pass again and again

Jesse Van Rootsellar seemed a good candidate for long-term institutionalization, but was sent home

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There is no way to adequately capture with words the horror that unfolded at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday. Five students aged 12 and 13 and a teacher were gunned down in a horrifying murderous rampage for no reason. The mother and 11-year-old stepbrother of the shooter were also shot dead.

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That’s six young souls who will never grow up. Six boys and girls who were denied the chance to graduate, to fall in love, to discover their passion, to have children of their own, to simply live, to experience the ups and downs of life that we are all gifted. Their young lives snuffed out in an instant, along with all that might have been, could have been. Just as they were denied their adulthood, their parents and loved ones will be denied the chance of watching them grow for years to come. These families will be forever scarred.

The two children in critical care, and the 25 others injured in the attack, will be marked by this day their whole lives. Not a single person in the northeastern B.C. town will be unaffected.

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Reading about the victims is heart-wrenching. Whether it was Zoey Benoit, 12, who had a “beautiful singing voice,” or Ezekiel Schofield, 13, who played hockey, or Ticaria Lampert, 12, who was a fan of K-pop, something very relatable to parents of teen girls today, each had their own set of interests, unique personalities and people who loved them.

The consequences of these senseless murders will span decades as those left behind struggle to move on. For too many, their nightmare is only beginning. For some, it will never end. This is what evil looks like.

Jesse Van Rootselaar led a troubled life, but deserves no sympathy. Details emerging from police and social media depict someone whose potential for great violence should have been apparent.

The family didn’t just live in a small isolated town; they were largely rootless, moving between Newfoundland, Alberta and B.C. Mother Jennifer Strang had to be ordered by a judge to permit Van Rootselaar and father Justin Van Rootselaar to speak on the phone. The judge described the family’s lifestyle as “nomadic.”

Jesse Van Rootselaar’s troubles were evident from multiple interactions with the health system going back years. The shooter was taking antidepressants, antipsychotic medication and hormone replacement therapy.

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Born a male, Van Rootselaar identified as a woman and had begun transitioning about six years ago at the age of 12 or 13. Evidence is increasingly showing that some children presenting with symptoms of gender dysphoria may instead suffer from a range of other mental health problems. Was that the case here? Van Rootselaar claimed on Reddit to have received several diagnoses, including for ADHD, major depressive disorder, autism and obsessive compulsive disorder.

This set of overlapping diagnoses raises questions about whether the darkness growing inside Van Rootselaar was recognized, or waved away.

We know that police made multiple visits to Van Rootselaar’s home on mental health calls and that the teen was apprehended more than once. In fact, Van Rootsellar had recently returned from a several-week psychiatric stay in Prince George, though it isn’t clear if that was for voluntary or involuntary treatment.

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In the home, there were six legal guns owned by mother Jennifer Strang. At one point they were confiscated by police, presumably over concerns about Van Rootsellar, but the guns were later returned after a successful petition by Strang. This is mind-boggling.

Van Rootselaar’s social media accounts reveal fixations on guns, drug use, mass shooters and anime characters, which the teen expressed a wish to resemble.

At various points, that Van Rootselaar was a danger at minimum to himself was apparent to police and others. How was the true seriousness of the case overlooked? Why did no one recognize what was wrong? Why were guns permitted in the home? Did the cocktail of prescription and illicit drugs contribute to Van Rootselaar’s murderous state of mind? If the medication was necessary, did anyone ensure it was taken consistently?

Van Rootselaar seems to have been a good candidate for longer-term institutionalization under B.C.’s Mental Health Act, and yet the teen was sent back into the community again and again. After the most recent stay in a psychiatric ward, the shooter was not even placed on what is known as “extended leave,” which mandates supervision for patients who don’t recognize their own need for treatment. There may be circumstances that explain why these decisions were made, but they must be disclosed.

As is often the case with crimes like these, advocates are blaming a lack of mental health services, but the story of Jesse Van Rootsellar isn’t the story of someone falling through the cracks of the health system. Instead, it appears to be a story of multiple individuals unwilling to do what is necessary to protect the public.

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