The suspect, who was also found dead with what appeared to be "self-inflicted" wounds, has been identified by residents as 18-year-old Jesse Strang.
Among those who confirmed to the Western Standard that Strang was the shooter were Liam Irving and Juan van Heerden, both of whom grew up seeing him at school. They'd spoken with eight different people who were at Tumbler Ridge Secondary when the massacre took place.
"He was a couple of years younger than us grades wise," Irving explained. "He was a chill kid, he was alright, but he definitely gave off that, you know, quiet one out kind of kid ... Like, he wasn't, you know, destructive or obnoxious."
Van Heerden echoed his sentiments, labelling Strang "a quiet kid."
"We always seen him by himself," he said, "sitting by himself in the corner, always quiet."
The pair confirmed that Strang identified as transgender.
Before heading to the school, Strang allegedly murdered his mother and younger brother, both of whom were well known in the community.
"My mom was pretty good friends with the mother, Jennifer, and my little brother, who's also on the spectrum, was pretty close to Emmett, the younger boy," Irving said. "There's not one person in this town right now that's not affected by this."
