Tumbler Ridge RCMP detachment updates on shooting investigation and reaction to attorney general’s announcement

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — The Tumbler Ridge RCMP detachment has issued a statement regarding the investigation into February’s mass shooting.

In a press release on Tuesday, July 7, Tumbler Ridge RCMP said the investigation into the incident that killed nine people, including the assailant, “remains active and ongoing.”

“There is still work underway, however significant progress has been made,”the release says in part.. “Digital and physical evidence has been collected, prioritized and processed.”

The RCMP says: “efforts are still underway to analyze the contents on electronic devices seized, as well as to collect all the data from multiple social media and online accounts.”

It added RCMP investigators are working with specialized units from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to complete digital forensic analysis and investigative tasks.

The release says the RCMP has reviewed over 100 statements from students, educators and first responders and are completing firearms assessments.

Earlier on Tuesday, July 7, the B.C. attorney general announced that the provincial government has retained legal representation on both sides of the border to hold California-based OpenAI accountable for withholding information that could have prevented the tragedy.

The detachment said the potential legal route is “separate and independent” from the RCMP’s investigation.

The statement concludes by saying that the police’s investigation “continues to apply trauma-informed principles,” and the criminal investigation continues, in which they “have not eliminated the possibility that charges could be laid.”