Heartbreaking picture of girl, 12, fighting for life after being shot while trying to save friends from Canada mass shooter
Young Maya Edmonds is clinging to life in critical condition after being shot twice by Jesse Van Rootselaar in the tragedy at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School
A 12-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being shot in the head and neck during Tuesday's school massacre in British Columbia, Canada.
Listen to this article
Young Maya Edmonds is clinging to life in critical condition after being shot twice by Jesse Van Rootselaar in the tragedy at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
Eight people, including six children, have been confirmed dead after the shooting. Van Rootselaar also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A note from Maya's mother on a GoFundMe page said the young victim "is fighting for her life while they try to repair the damage from a gunshot wound to the head and one to the neck".
Read More: One of Canada’s worst mass shootings leaves 10 dead, including suspect, and 25 injured
The fundraiser, organised by a relative, saw mum Cia Edmonds say: "This doesn’t even feel real. I never thought I would be asking for prayers… but please please, pray for my baby.”
Maya was transported from the small mining town of Tumbler Ridge to the Vancouver Children’s Hospital.
Police confirmed that Van Rootselaar, who also went by Jesse Strang, was the perpetrator of the murders.
Among the victims inside the school were three girls, all 12, and two boys, aged 12 and 13.
Van Rootselaar also killed a 39-year-old female teacher from the school.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told a press conference on Wednesday that two other victims who died at a nearby home were the shooter's 39-year-old mother, Jennifer, and 11-year-old step-brother, Emmett.
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) spokesperson said they believe Van Rootselaar worked alone.
Deputy Commissioner McDonald confirmed Van Rootselaar identified as a woman but was born male.
He also confirmed that law enforcement had been in contact with Van Rootselaar within the past year and that they had a history of poor mental health.
When asked whether Van Rootselaar had a gun licence, McDonald told reporters: "I believe she had a licence which had expired in 2024; she did not have any firearms registered to her."
In the wake of the shootings, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said "the nation mourns" with the families of those people killed following one of the country's worst-ever mass shootings.
"Parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love," Carney said on Wednesday.
"The nation mourns with you. Canada stands by you."
Thanking the emergency services for their tireless work, Mr Carney also thanked world leaders for their support - including King Charles III, Canada's head of state.
Flags across all government buildings in Canada will be flown at half mast for the next week in light of the shooting, with Mr Carney telling the nation: "We will get through this".
"But right now it is a time to come together, like Canadians do in these terrible situations. To support each other, to mourn together and to grow together."
Tuesday's attack is one of the deadliest mass casualty events in Canada's recent history, where mass shootings are very rare.
It is the worst school shooting since December 1989, when a gunman killed 14 female students at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.
The town of Tumbler Ridge, which has a population of about 2,400 people, is more than 600 miles north of Vancouver, near the border with Alberta.