BURST
Jacob Jan Van Rootselaar, the older brother of Tumbler Ridge shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar, has been arrested in Alberta and charged with attempted murder in relation to a 2024 incident in Fort McMurray.
Cpl. Troy Savinkoff, a spokesman for the central Alberta RCMP, confirmed that Jan Van Rootselaar was picked up on an outstanding Canada-wide warrant on Feb. 19 in Sylvan Lake.
Savinkoff said the 22-year-old has also been charged with two weapons offences and five counts of failing to comply with release conditions after an alleged break-in and assault at a Fort McMurray home on Oct. 15, 2024.
He was held in custody until a scheduled appearance at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer, Alta., on March 2.
Savinkoff said Jan Van Rootselaar has been arrested several times in Alberta jurisdictions since the 2024 incident, in which a suspect used a knife sharpener and a broken glass bottle to attack a victim, who suffered serious injuries.
According to a spokesperson for the Alberta justice system, Jan Van Rootselaar “has an extensive history with the courts” in that province.
Jan Van Rootselaar is an elder brother of Jesse Van Rootselaar, the 18-year-old behind one of Canada’s worst mass shootings. On Feb. 10, the shooter killed his mother and stepbrother in their family home in Tumbler Ridge, then went to the local high school and gunned down five students and a teacher.
A surviving victim, 12-year-old Maya Gebala, is still fighting for her life at B.C. Children’s Hospital after being shot in the head and neck. Her family was told she was shot while trying to lock the door to the school library, where most of the victims were found. Another survivor, Paige Hoekstra, has since been released and is recovering at home in Tumbler Ridge.