Online presence of Tumbler Ridge suspect shows history of engaging with violence

CITYnews halifax / By Jack Rabb

Deeply troubling online posts believed to have originated from the Tumbler Ridge shooting suspect are coming to light, and they paint a picture of a person with serious mental health issues who revelled in violence.

Roblox is a game marketed toward children with the promise of allowing them to create the world they want to see. Jesse Van Rootselaar appeared to have created a shopping mall where the only merchandise is guns, and users are encouraged to go on a shooting spree.

The game’s developers say this “experience,” as it is called, is not widely available to others, and they have since removed it and deleted Van Rootselaar’s account.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — RCMP (Mandatory Credit)
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This is just one of a number of disturbing elements of the suspect’s online presence that are coming to light. There are also posts detailing psychotic breaks, childhood traumas, and interest in mass shooters everywhere.

Investigators have a lot to sift through, but it will be difficult to get a full picture, since Van Rootselaar appears to have deleted much of her posting history at some point before allegedly committing the worst school shooting in B.C.’s history. Archived posts of what is believed to be her Reddit account suggest a history of engaging with weapons, including altered long guns.

Mental illness was also discussed, with one post titled, “I went crazy and burnt my house down my second time trying shrooms but still have a desire to try alternatives,” explaining that she had recently been discharged from a psychiatric ward.

And as first reported by the New York Times, posts attributed to her on a different website dedicated to gore and death contain perhaps the most alarming red flags. One comment claims that, as a child, the user watched her stepfather attempt to commit suicide. Another says she finds watching violent content addictive. A tracing tool shows that she had recently visited the profile of an American school shooter.

BC RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald says police are pursuing all online leads.

“As in most cases involving mass shootings, oftentimes, suspects throughout the globe have a significant online presence, and there are sometimes indicators or communications with other like-minded individuals,” McDonald said.