TUMBLER RIDGE, British Columbia — What began as an ordinary school day in a quiet Canadian town has become a nightmare no family should ever endure.

Maya Edmonds, a 12-year-old student at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, is fighting for her life after being shot in the head and neck during a devastating mass shooting on February 10, 2026. She is currently in critical care at Vancouver Children’s Hospital, where doctors continue working to stabilize her and assess the extent of her injuries.

The attack left nine people dead, including the suspected shooter, and at least 25 others injured, sending shockwaves through the small northeastern British Columbia community and across the country.

For Maya’s mother, Cia Edmonds, time has collapsed into a blur of fear, prayer, and uncertainty.

“I’m writing this post sitting in Vancouver Children’s Hospital while my daughter fights for her life,” Edmonds wrote in a heartbreaking Facebook message shared after the shooting. “Today started as any other. Now my 12-year-old daughter is fighting for her life while they try to repair the damage from a gunshot wound to the head — and one to the neck.”

A Normal Morning Turned Into Tragedy

According to authorities, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received reports of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School at approximately 1:20 p.m. local time. Officers responding to the scene discovered multiple victims inside the school.

Six people were found deceased within the building. Two additional victims were later found dead at a nearby residence in the community.

Among the wounded was Maya — a child who, just hours earlier, had gone to school expecting nothing more than classes, friends, and routine.

“She was a lucky one, I suppose,” her mother wrote, struggling to find meaning in unimaginable pain. “Condolences to the other families during this tragedy… This doesn’t even feel real.”

Maya was initially treated locally before being airlifted from Tumbler Ridge to Vancouver Children’s Hospital, a journey doctors said was critical to her survival. She remains in intensive care as specialists monitor swelling, neurological damage, and complications related to her gunshot wounds.

“Please, Pray for My Baby”

In her emotional post, Edmonds made a plea she never thought she would have to make.

“I never thought I would be asking for prayers,” she wrote. “But please, please, pray for my baby.”

Those words have since been shared thousands of times, resonating far beyond British Columbia. Messages of support, prayer, and solidarity have poured in from strangers, parents, and communities grappling with the same painful truth: no place feels immune anymore.

For families like Maya’s, survival is now measured in hours, procedures, and quiet moments beside a hospital bed.

Community Rallies Around Maya and Her Mother

In the days following the shooting, a GoFundMe campaign was launched by Edmonds’ cousin, Krysta Hunt, to help ease the financial burden on Maya’s family as they remain by her side in Vancouver.

“My name is Krysta, and I am the cousin of Cia, Maya’s mother,” Hunt wrote on the fundraiser page. “I am starting this GoFundMe to provide relief for Cia and Maya during this devastating time.”

The campaign notes that Maya’s recovery timeline is unknown, and that the family is focused solely on her survival and long-term care.

“All we know is that Maya made it through transport from Tumbler Ridge to Vancouver Children’s Hospital and is currently in critical care,” Hunt wrote. “This support will allow Cia to be by her side without financial concern.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, the fundraiser had raised more than $51,000 toward an $80,000 goal, with hundreds of donors contributing messages of hope, love, and encouragement.

Details of the Suspected Shooter

Authorities have identified the suspected shooter as 18-year-old Jesse van Rootselaar. Police say van Rootselaar is believed to have killed her mother and stepbrother at a residence in Tumbler Ridge before traveling to the secondary school.

Inside the school, six people were fatally shot. Van Rootselaar was later found inside the building with what police described as a self-inflicted injury and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators have not yet released a motive, and the investigation remains ongoing.

A Town in Mourning

Tumbler Ridge is a small, close-knit community where families know one another and schools often serve as the heart of daily life. In the aftermath of the shooting, grief has settled heavily over the town.

Vigils have been held. Flowers line fences. Classrooms sit silent.

Parents are struggling to answer questions no child should have to ask. Teachers are mourning students and colleagues. And families like Maya’s are clinging to hope inside hospital walls hundreds of miles away.

An aerial view of the school complex, captured the day after the shooting, shows emergency vehicles, investigators, and a campus forever changed by violence.

The Human Cost Behind the Headlines

While numbers help explain the scope of the tragedy — nine dead, dozens injured — they cannot capture what has been lost or what is at stake.

Maya is not just a statistic. She is a daughter. A child. A life interrupted.

Her mother’s words reveal the raw reality behind the headlines: the shock of an ordinary morning turning into a fight for survival, the disbelief that lingers, and the pain of knowing that other families are grieving loved ones who will never come home.

“She was a lucky one, I suppose,” Edmonds wrote — a sentence that underscores the cruel paradox of survival in mass violence.

Waiting, Hoping, Praying

As doctors continue their work, Maya’s family remains in a state of painful waiting. Each update matters. Each hour feels heavy.

There are no clear answers yet — only cautious hope, medical expertise, and the collective prayers of a community and countless strangers.

For now, Maya’s story stands as a reminder of the fragility of life, the resilience of families, and the urgent need to confront the realities of violence in spaces meant to protect children.

And inside a hospital room in Vancouver, a mother sits beside her daughter, holding on to hope — and asking the world to do the same.