On Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, four members of a local school community in La Loche, Saskatchewan lost their lives after a gunman attacked La Loche Community School. A 17-year-old male was arrested by police on the school’s premises.
Officers arrived at the school building after receiving a complaint about an active shooter in the community. According to a statement from Brenda Butterworth-Carr, a Saskatchewan Area RCMP assistant commissioner, officers “immediately began searching for the suspect.”
A firearm was soon seized and a male was taken into custody outside the school. Two of the victims were allegedly related to the young male. The other two victims were both new teachers to the institution.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the first to break the news on Friday afternoon. “Obviously this is every parent’s nightmare … The country’s heart is breaking,” said Prime Minister Trudeau, in a statement from the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland.
The community has received an outpouring of support. On Friday night, the town held a grief circle where residents were able to share their emotions, echoing the importance of banding together as a community during a difficult time.
“Hearts have been broken, our faith has been shaken and lost today,” said acting Mayor Kevin Janvier, in a statement about the incident. “As we move forward together, we will be doing so in an effort to heal as a community.”
This is Canada’s first school shooting since September 2006 and the worst mass shooting since December 2014.
On Saturday Jan. 23, RCMP officers announced that they had charged the 17-year-old suspect with four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted murder, and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Seven other victims suffered non-fatal injuries; four were airlifted to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. At the time of writing, there have been no further casualties.