A Canadian transgender school shooter, as his mother described, had a troubling history from a young age and seemed to spiral into darkness after developing an obsession with violent videos prior to the tragic event.
Jesse Van Rootseller, an 18-year-old who dropped out of high school, committed the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history on a Tuesday, first murdering his mother and stepbrother at home. He then went to Tumbler Ridge Middle School, where he killed six people and injured 25 others before taking his own life.
Concerns about Jesse’s behavior were voiced by his mother, Jennifer Strang, back in 2015. She shared her worries in a Facebook group for parents, noting that while he demonstrated empathy toward those hurt by others, he reacted with joy when inflicting harm on his own siblings.
In her words, “When he sees someone hurt by his own hands, he shows intense empathy, but when he hurts his own brother, he smiles evilly.” Strang mentioned that the school recommended testing him for a behavioral disorder. Though she consented to the testing, she felt uncomfortable about it.
Strang, who was 39 at the time, described unusual behaviors, such as Jesse using “baby talk” despite being close to eight and having a strong attachment to her. She even indicated she felt a sense of responsibility for his issues.
Reflecting on Jesse’s behavior, she remarked, “At home, he’s sometimes very nice and kind, and other times he’s very mean. So I think this is more my problem than his problem.”
Over the years, Van Rootseller’s troubling tendencies intensified, with a particular fascination for graphic videos of violence. He created an account on WatchPeopleDie in August, a site infamous for hosting violent footage, including the live-stream of the Christchurch shooter in 2019.
On that platform, he expressed interest in a thread that compiled every mass shooting filmed. He commented on various videos with remarks such as “sucks” and “pretty peak,” showcasing a disturbing fascination with the content.
His comments on videos included praising gruesome footage while complaining about the presentation, mentioning things like “the skin was preserved too much” after viewing a cooking video that involved human flesh. His fascination extended to commentary on videos depicting shootings, expressing that he found first-person shooter videos particularly engaging.
Additionally, he harshly criticized police officers, referring to them derogatorily and even mocking a tragedy involving an off-duty police officer’s death. In his profile, he listed “Myself” and “Gun Control” under his enemies and recounted his traumatic childhood experiences while reacting to videos depicting suicide.
Jesse acknowledged the addictive nature of consuming such violent content, admitting, “I think it’s addictive. It’s hard not to watch violent content.” He seemed aware of the impact, saying that he tried to avoid it because it consumed hours of his life, even recognizing that it probably affected him in ways he couldn’t fully grasp.
Ultimately, this tumultuous mix of early behavioral issues and an intense fixation on violence culminated in a tragic outcome that shocked the community.
