RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says information about the firearms used in the Feb. 10 Tumbler Ridge mass shooting remains part of an active investigation.
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RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme has told gun-control advocacy groups that details about the firearms used in the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., will not be released yet because the investigation remains ongoing.
In a letter dated Sept. 23, Duheme responded to a request for information that groups said students, parents, teachers and the broader community need as the school year begins and as attention turns to potential gaps in gun policy and enforcement.
Duheme’s letter echoed an earlier position from an RCMP spokesperson, including the idea that investigative secrecy is necessary while evidence is still being gathered and assessed.
The commissioner’s response cited the scope of the RCMP’s investigative work, stating that the firearms information is subject to an active investigation and will conclude only when investigative avenues have been exhausted and the evidence suggests there are no additional leads to follow.
Duheme also wrote that the timeline for the investigation depends on the progress of gathering and analysis of both digital and physical evidence, and that a specific end date could not be set in advance.
The Sept. 23 letter was sent to PolySeSouvient and four other advocacy organizations. A copy was made available by PolySeSouvient for publication.
The commissioner’s letter additionally referenced the B.C. Coroners Service announcement of an inquest into the mass shooting, indicating that the RCMP is committed to participating if its officers, employees or subject-matter experts are called to provide evidence.
Duheme said the RCMP would conduct a “thorough review” of any recommendations made by the coroner to determine implications and whether implementing them is necessary.
The underlying case involves an attack on Feb. 10 in Tumbler Ridge in which 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people, according to the information provided with Duheme’s response. The attacker then died by suicide.
PolySeSouvient argued in a statement that seven months after the shooting, Canadians still do not know basic facts about the firearms used to kill six children, an educator and a parent.
The advocacy group said Duheme’s reply does not clearly identify which specific facts must remain confidential and does not provide an indication of when the public can expect verified answers.
PolySeSouvient said the group is not seeking witness accounts or investigative tactics that could jeopardize a prosecution, but argued that an active investigation should not operate as a blanket reason to withhold all verified information about the firearms.
In its Sept. 14 letter to Duheme, the consortium of groups said verified information could help inform debates about failures in gun control law or enforcement ahead of any further tragedy.
Duheme’s position places the decision on timing for releasing firearms-related information squarely within the RCMP’s investigative process, with the next key public forum described in the correspondence being the upcoming coroner’s inquest.
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