Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has attended a vigil in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, where hundreds gathered to mourn the eight victims killed in a mass shooting there this week.
Carney visited the small town on Friday, along with other federal leaders across the political aisle, as well as Canada's Governor-General Mary Simon, in a show of national unity.
Canadians are with you, we will always be with you, Carney told the crowd in a speech that paid tribute to the victims, which included six young school children.
Residents in the town are still reeling from the attack, with some visibly in tears and comforting one another as Carney and other leaders addressed their grief.
Many refused to speak to the media on Friday, noting that the presence of journalists in their otherwise quiet town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains has been overwhelming.
Carney, who has spent much of his time in office on overseas trade missions, cancelled a planned trip to the Munich Security Conference earlier this week in light of the shooting.
The prime minister invited the other federal leaders to travel on the same plane with him to Tumbler Ridge, said Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
We all lead political parties. But today? There are no Conservatives. There are no Liberals, New Democrats, Greens or Bloc Québécois, Poilievre said in his own remarks at Friday's vigil.
Ahead of the vigil, Carney and other leaders met with families of the victims and first responders. They also laid flowers at a memorial, which has grown over the week, near Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
Attendees of the vigil included families of the victims and local residents, as well as people who drove in from nearby small communities in northern British Columbia to pay their respects.
I never thought that it would happen here, said Colaina Hall, who drove two hours south from Fort St John to attend the vigil. In our little northern communities, we're pretty tight-knit, we take care of one another.
It is just devastating, she said.
Police have named the suspect in the shooting as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who also lived in the community. Van Rootselaar was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the school, according to police.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they did not believe the suspect was targeting anyone specific in the attack and described the actions as being hunting for potential victims.
Deputy commissioner Dwayne McDonald noted that four firearms were seized in relation to the shooting, with two found at the suspect's home and two at the school.
While the investigation continues, the town is understandably shaken, and both the prime minister and local leaders are committed to supporting the community through this crisis.
