Tumbler Ridge town councillor Chris Norbury's wife teaches at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where the attack took place.

Speaking to BBC World Service's Newsday he says he got a call from Tumbler Ridge Elementary School, which his daughter attends, to say they were going into lockdown. The elementary school is located a short walk away from the town's secondary school.

"I immediately contacted my wife," he explains, "and found out from her that the school was [also] in lockdown, she [also] didn't know why."

He adds that when he asked her if she was safe he didn't hear anything back and it wasn't until later he was able to confirm she was okay.

"It was terrifying, it's hard to put into words the dread and the fear that you feel knowing that a loved one is in danger," he says.

You can listen to the full episode.

Authorities say they know the identity of the suspected attacker but are not yet releasing further details.

In an earlier news conference, RCMP North District Commander Chief Supt Ken Floyd confirmed the suspect found dead at the school is the same person police described in an alert sent to phones. The alert described a "female in a dress with brown hair".

The suspected attacker was found dead with a self-inflicted injury following the shooting, but police say they do not yet know their connection to the school.

We have not yet received confirmation of the suspect's gender or identity.

Image source, Tumbler RidgeLines/Reuters

Royal Canadian Mounted Police say they believe there could be a link between the fatal shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary school and a residence where two people were found dead in the town.

Chief Supt Ken Floyd said: "We believe they're connected but we are not in a position to provide that definitively right now at this time and what that connection may or may not be."

He described the mass casualty incident as "a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation".

A student from Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has spoken to CBC Radio West about being "barricaded" in a classroom during the fatal shooting.

Darian Quist, a Grade 12 student, says he got to class at 13:30 local time (20:30 GMT) when an alarm went off in the hallways with instructions to close the doors for a lockdown.

Grade 12 in Canada is the final year of secondary school, it is equivalent to Year 13 - the last year of A-Levels - in the UK.

Quist tells the news outlet that the doors were closed for a while before he and his classmates realised something was wrong. He says he was receiving photos on his phone from the scene.

Quist and his classmates "got tables and barricaded the doors" for over two hours until police arrived to escort them out of the school, he tells CBC.

British Columbia's Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Nina Krieger says police arrived at Tumbler Ridge Secondary school "within two minutes" of receiving the call of an active shooting.

"This is a small tight-knit community," Krieger says and thanks the responding officers "for their courage, for their dedication and professionalism".

"No doubt saving lives today," she adds.

Earlier, in a statement, Krieger said the "devastating events are sending shockwaves through the community and the entire province".

If you're just joining us, here's the latest on the mass shooting that took place in the quiet community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia:

• Police say an attacker killed nine people before taking their own life on Tuesday
• Six victims were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary school, while a seventh person died on the way to hospital. The body of the attacker was also found at the school
• Two more people were found dead inside a residence nearby
• Police described the suspect as a "female in a dress with brown hair" in an active shooter alert sent to the community
• At least two other people were taken to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries following the attack, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said
• Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, said he is "devastated" by the shooting and that his government "stands with all British Columbians as they confront this horrible tragedy"
• The PM cancelled his upcoming trip to the Munich Security Conference in response to the shooting

The mayor of Tumbler Ridge, Darryl Krakowka, tells CBC that the community is small and tight-knit, and that he expects the victims to all be people he knows.

"I will know every victim. I've been here 19 years, and we're a small community," he told the Canadian broadcaster, after emerging from the town hall when the shelter-in-place order was lifted.

"I don't call them residents. I call them family."

Victoria Police releases a statement saying "we are deeply saddened by the tragic mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge".

In a post on X, Victoria Police extends their "heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who were injured, and to the entire Tumbler Ridge community as they navigate this unimaginable loss".

The police force serves the area of Victoria and the Esquimalt in British Columbia, the province where the shootings took place.

The tragedy at Tumbler Ridge is one of the deadliest shootings in Canadian history.

In 2020, a gunman posing as a Mountie - a member of the federal force that police rural areas - killed 22 people in Nova Scotia over a two-day period.

And in 1989, 14 women were killed in an anti-feminist attackat L'Ecole Polytechnique university in Montreal.

Canada has stricter gun laws than the US, making mass attacks like this far less likely there.

Mark Carney has suspended his planned trip to Germany following the school shooting in British Columbia, the PM's office says, according to Reuters.

The planned trip was to a Munich Security Conference that is usually held over a few days, and is planned to host more than 60 heads of state and government.

The talks are expected to cover everything from artificial intelligence, critical supply chains, support for Ukraine and Nato.

Officials have appealed for patience from the remote community, as the investigation unfolds.

Here's what we know, and don't know:

• Police say an attacker killed nine people in the community of Tumbler Ridge, before taking their own life
• Six victims were found dead in a local secondary school, while a seventh died on the way to hospital; the body of the attacker was also found at the school
• Another two bodies were found in a nearby residence
• At least two other people were taken to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, and as many as 25 people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
• A shelter-in-place alert sent during the attack identified the suspect as a "female in a dress with brown hair"
• Officials say they know the attacker's identity, but so far have not publicly revealed their name or gender
• Police also have not identified the type of gun used in the attack, or the ages of the victims who died
• The connection between the school and the residence has also yet to be revealed

Officers that arrived at the scene within two minutes of the call to emergency services may have saved lives, says Eby.

The swift response meant a "devastating tragedy was prevented from being significantly worse," he says.

He notes the officers were putting themselves at risk by rushing into the school.

"It's heroic work, and I am very grateful," says Eby.

Police say the attacker was found dead inside the school, and that the suspected cause of death is suicide.

Answering a reporter's question Eby says police "are still reaching out to families and next of kin" of the victims.

"I expect we'll be hearing shortly from the police," he says.

When asked about the prime minister's response, Eby says he "has certainly conveyed the grief and devastation he feels and what the people of Tumbler Ridge are facing".

Eby adds the PM has offered assistance from the federal government moving forward.

Krieger continues by acknowledging this as the "worst mass shooting in our province's history".

"As a mother, I'm holding the families who lost loved ones close in my heart, as well as the many of those injured," she says.

"We will ensure every possible support is available for the community in the coming days," she adds.

Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Nina Krieger says that police arrived at the school within two minutes of receiving the call of an active shooting.

"This is only the beginning for so many families who have been impacted by today's tragic events," she says.

"The shockwaves will continue to reverberate throughout the country for some time."

Mental health counsellors are en route to the community to help the grieving.

Eby asks all Canadians to wrap the people of Tumbler Ridge and families with love.

"This is something that will reverberate for years to come," he says, adding that the priority is to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge.

Premier Eby is wrapping up what we do know. He says a total of 10 people are dead, including the attacker.

The attacks took place at two different sites. Eight bodies were found at the school, and two more at a nearby residence, he says.

He notes that the information is currently very limited, and asks for patience as investigators do their work.

British Columbia Premier David Eby has just started speaking.

"This is a devastating and unimaginable tragedy," he says.

"We can't imagine what the community is going through. But I know it's causing us to all hug our kids a little bit tighter tonight."

Image source, Reuters

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is "devastated" by "today’s horrific shootings" in Tumbler Ridge.

"My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence", Carney says in a post on X.

The PM says he joins Canadians in their grief and extends his thanks to the "first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens". He says his government "stands with all British Columbians as they confront this horrible tragedy".

"I have connected with Premier Eby to express my condolences, and with the Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, who is coordinating the federal response," he adds.

The PM was due to fly to Germany at the end of the day.

Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has just posted on X to condemn the "senseless tragedy".

"I am devastated to learn that many innocent people have been killed and injured in a senseless act of violence at a local high school in Tumbler Ridge," writes Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative party.

"Our prayers are with the families, students, teachers, first responders, and the entire community grieving this immense loss."

Canadian PM Mark Carney has yet to comment on the attack.