Speaking outside Tumbler Ridge Town Hall, commanding officer of the B.C. RCMP, Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, said some social media posts have included a photo of an innocent person.

He added an individual in Ontario with a similar name to the suspect “has been wrongly accused of being responsible.”

“Zylii, this did not need to happen. We know you are not involved,” he said.

McDonald urged the public and media to only share verified images and information.

“There’s also many false flags and false trails on the internet, a lot of social media that is coming out that is factually inaccurate, a lot of allegations, a lot of photos pertaining to be the suspect, videos, etc., that are not,” McDonald told reporters Friday. “That’s why we urge extreme caution in the sharing of those images or the propagation of online hate or response, because it unfortunately can target innocent individuals.”

Investigators are combing through the 18-year-old’s online activity and digital footprint as part of the effort to understand what led to the shocking attack. Mounties say they’re also reviewing Van Rootselaar’s previous interactions with police.

Shooter was ‘hunting’ for victims

Police said the children killed in the school were not specifically targeted.

“This suspect was, for lack of a better term, hunting. They were prepared and engaging anybody and everybody they could come in contact with,” McDonald said.

The victims include five Tumbler Ridge Secondary School students: 12-year-olds Kylie Smith, Zoey Benoit, Ticaria Lampert, and Abel Mwansa Jr. and 13-year-old Ezekiel Schofield, and educator Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39.

The shooter’s mother, 39-year-old Jennifer Jacobs, and stepbrother, 11-year-old Emmett Jacobs, were killed in their home.

Two girls who were also shot, Maya Edmonds and Paige Hoekstra, remain in hospital.

Van Rootselaar took her own life after police entered the school, according to the RCMP.

Mounties said they seized four guns, two from the home and two the school. McDonald said a shotgun Van Rootselaar is believed to have used in the killings at the family home was unregistered and it was not previously seized by police.

He said the same of the “main” firearm used in the school shooting, saying its origins are unknown and investigators are trying to determine how the suspect obtained it.

McDonald would not comment on whether any of the guns retrieved from the scenes were the same ones previously confiscated from the home and returned.

Investigation continues

Forensic investigation at the school will continue through the weekend and the scene at the home may be cleared by Saturday, police said. Autopsies on the victims and shooter are also expected to be completed by the end of the weekend.

Police say more than 80 students, teachers and first responders have been interviewed and more are underway.