Roblox has eliminated account belonging to the teenage transgender suspect Jesse Van Rootselaar
The 18-year-old suspect chargeable for the deadliest college capturing in British Columbia in a long time created a online game on the favored platform Roblox that allowed customers to simulate a capturing in a shopping center.
Jesse Van Rootselaar, a former scholar at Tumbler Ridge Secondary Faculty, is accused of killing 9 folks, together with his mom, 11-year-old stepbrother, 5 college students, and a trainer, earlier than dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 10.
“Now we have eliminated the person account related to this horrifying incident in addition to any content material related to the suspect,” a Roblox spokesperson stated in a press release on Thursday.
The sport, which depicted a blocky, cartoon character wielding numerous weapons and capturing others in a shopping center setting, was initially found not by police, however by customers on the web discussion board Kiwi Farms. Movies of the simulation circulated on-line earlier than Roblox intervened. The corporate claimed the sport had solely acquired seven visits previous to its elimination.
🚨 Tumbler Ridge Faculty mass shooter Jesse Strang (Van Rootselaar)’s Roblox account featured a British Columbia mall capturing simulator.Gamers may fireplace into crowds at a mall sharing a reputation with an actual Canadian location.Roblox deleted the account after suspicions arose, however… https://t.co/2KvfKqm0Mlpic.twitter.com/Wt3Y3JZDCu
— Allen Hampton (@Hamp_Allen) February 12, 2026
The revelation is an element of a bigger, troubling digital footprint left by Van Rootselaar. Police initially referred to the suspect as a “gunperson in a gown” and “an 18-year-old feminine.” Solely when pressed by reporters on Wednesday did the RCMP spokesperson admit that “Jesse was born as a organic male.”
Van Rootselaar allegedly maintained a presence on the graphic web site WatchPeopleDie, a discussion board recognized for sharing photos of violent dying and glorifying mass shooters, in response to an evaluation by the ADL Middle on Extremism.
“I really like these first particular person perspective kind movies, when the shooter information his or her personal actions it’s at all times warmth,” an account linked to Van Rootselaar reportedly commented on compilation movies of prior mass shootings.
On Reddit, Van Rootselaar allegedly posted about suicidal ideas, his gender transition and struggles with psychological well being. In a February 2023 put up, he detailed beginning a hearth at dwelling whereas below the affect of psychedelic mushrooms and talked about current hospitalizations for psychiatric care and a prognosis of being on the autism spectrum.
Police have confirmed they continuously attended the household’s dwelling for psychological health-related complaints. Van Rootselaar held a minor’s firearms license that expired in 2024. The assault stands as one of many deadliest in Canadian historical past for the reason that 1989 Ecole Polytechnique bloodbath.
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