VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A shooting at a school in remote northern British Columbia left seven people dead, while two more were found dead at a nearby home, Canadian authorities said Tuesday. A woman believed by police to be the shooter was also found dead, apparently from a self-inflicted wound.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said more than 25 people were wounded, including two who were airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries, after the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
School shootings are rare in Canada, which has strict gun control laws.
The town of Tumbler Ridge in the Canadian Rockies is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) northeast of Vancouver, near the provincial border with Alberta. The provincial government website lists Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as having 175 students from Grades 7 to 12.
British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters that police officers reached the school within two minutes.
A video showed students walking out of the school with their hands raised as police vehicles surrounded the building and a helicopter circled overhead.
Police found six people dead, a statement said. A seventh person died while being transported to a hospital, and two more were found dead at a residence the authorities believe was connected to the attack. A suspect appeared to have died of a “self-inflicted injury.”
RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd told reporters that investigators had identified a female suspect but would not release a name, and that the shooter's motive remained unclear. He added that police are still investigating the connection between the shooter and the victims.
Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka said the whole community is grieving.
“I broke down,” he said, saying it was “devastating” to learn how many had died in the community of 2,700, which he called a “big family.”
“I have lived here for 18 years,” Krakowka said. “I probably know every one of the victims.”
The Rev. George Rowe of the Tumbler Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church went to the recreation center where the victims' families were awaiting more information.
“It was not a pretty sight. Families are still waiting to hear if it’s their child that’s deceased and because of protocol and procedure, the investigating team is very careful in releasing names,” Rowe said. “The big thing tonight was my having to walk away and the families still waiting to find out. It is so difficult. Other pastors and counselors are there, so they are not alone.”
Rowe once taught at the high school and his three children graduated from there.
“To walk through the corridors of that school will never be the same again,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a social media post that he was devastated by the shooting.
“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens,” he wrote.
Carney’s office said he is suspending a planned trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia and Munich, Germany. He was set to announce a long-awaited defense industrial strategy in Halifax on Wednesday before heading to Europe for the Munich Security Conference.
Eby, the province's premier, told reporters he had spoken to Carney after what he called the “unimaginable tragedy.”
“I know it’s causing us all to hug our kids a little bit tighter tonight,” he said. “I’m asking the people of British Columbia to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight.”
Canada’s government has responded to previous mass shootings with gun control measures, including a recently broadened ban on all guns it considers assault weapons.
Tuesday's shootings were Canada's deadliest rampage since 2020, when a gunman in Nova Scotia killed 13 people and set fires that left another nine dead.
Gillies reported from Toronto.
This grab from video shows students exiting the Tumbler Ridge school after deadly shootings, in British Columbia, Canada, Tuesday Feb. 10, 2026. (Jordon Kosik via AP)
This grab from video shows students exiting the Tumbler Ridge school after deadly shootings, in British Columbia, Canada, Tuesday Feb. 10, 2026. (Jordon Kosik via AP)
ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 11, 2026--
AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global defense technology leader, today announced that Stephen Voline has joined the company as Senior Director of Washington Operations.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260211855975/en/
Voline will support AV’s engagement with Congress, the Department of War, and key national security stakeholders, advancing the company’s strategic priorities across defense policy, acquisition, and operational readiness.
“Navigating today’s defense environment requires leaders who understand how policy, operations, and technology come together,” said Blake Souter, Vice President, Washington Operations at AV. “Stephen’s depth of experience at that intersection will strengthen our Washington Operations team as we continue to advance critical national security missions and long-term defense priorities.”
Voline brings more than three decades of experience across military operations, defense policy, and industry advocacy, including senior government relations leadership at Hanwha Defense USA, service on Capitol Hill as National Security Advisor to Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and 26 years in the U.S. Army.
“I’m honored to join AV at a time when innovation, speed, and strategic clarity matter more than ever,” said Voline. “AV is delivering capabilities that directly support warfighters and national security stakeholders, and I look forward to helping strengthen the company’s engagement across Washington in support of those missions.”
As National Security Advisor to Ernst, Voline advised on defense and foreign policy and helped shape multiple National Defense Authorization Acts, with a focus on soldier readiness, artificial intelligence, intelligence operations, and special operations forces.
As Director of Government Relations at Hanwha Defense USA, Voline led advocacy across Congress and the Administration in support of land systems, munitions, and autonomous platform programs. He advised senior leaders on legislative strategy, helped secure an Enhanced Use Lease agreement with the U.S. Army enabling a $1.3 billion propellant production facility, and facilitated the first significant contract award in Hanwha’s history.
Voline's distinguished career in the service includes senior intelligence and targeting roles within the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, battalion-level operations and intelligence leadership within the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, and command of a Military Intelligence company supporting global and interagency operations. He deployed multiple times in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and served with elite and interagency organizations. He spent nearly 14 years as an enlisted infantryman, achieving the rank of Master Sergeant.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in public relations from the University of West Florida and a master's degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University.
About AV
AeroVironment (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) is a defense technology leader delivering integrated capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. The Company develops and deploys autonomous systems, loitering munitions, counter-UAS technologies, space-based platforms, directed energy systems, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities—built to meet the mission needs of today’s warfighter and tomorrow’s conflicts. At the core of these technologies lies AV_Halo™, a modular, mission-ready suite of AI-powered software tools that empowers warfighters and enables full-battlefield dominance: detect, decide, deliver. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AV delivers proven systems and future-defining capabilities at speed, scale, and operational relevance. For more information, visit www.avinc.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain new ones; regulatory changes; competitor activities; market growth; product development challenges; and general economic conditions. For a more detailed discussion of these risks, please refer to AeroVironment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.
Stephen Voline brings more than three decades of experience across military operations, defense policy, and industry advocacy.
