Christopher Bennison, 33, of Outram Street, Middlesbrough, was spotted by police as he carried out drug transactions in the Outram Street area over two days in January.

He even carried out exchanges on his own doorstep, which led to officers carrying out his arrest at his home.

Christopher Bennison (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

In a video shared of his arrest, Cleveland Police officers can be seen forcing their way into Bennison’s house before finding him in the kitchen and arresting him.

Officers found a bowl of white powder in the kitchen cupboard, which was later confirmed to be crack cocaine, along with items linked with the preparation of crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia and several mobile phones.

Around £120 in cash was seized, and there were text messages on a phone mentioning drug supply.

Christopher Bennison is arrested (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Bennison was arrested and later charged with possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A and being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine.

On Monday (February 9) at Teesside Crown Court, Bennison was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

Following sentencing, Middlesbrough Proactive Team Sergeant John Sproson said: “Some of these offences were committed close to a children’s play area, placing children and other members of the public at potential risk and exposure to serious offences.

“We won’t tolerate this offending in our communities, and we continue to be proactive in tackling those who deal drugs in Middlesbrough and removing those drugs from our streets.

“Anyone who wishes to report drug activity in their local area can contact Cleveland Police on 101, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800555111.”

The period drama starring Ralph Fiennes has been added to Netflix this week, with fans calling it a ‘cinematic masterpiece’.

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Netflix has unveiled several thrilling new additions this week, including one that enthusiasts are labelling a “cinematic masterpiece”. The film, helmed by Wes Anderson, has been acclaimed as “perfect” by some critics and features an impressive cast.

This follows Netflix‘s announcement of some exciting releases arriving this week, disclosing on X that fans can anticipate Lisa McGee’s new series How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, the initial 10 seasons of Stargate SG-1, and numerous classic Wes Anderson films joining the archive.

However, one film particularly stands out due to its substantial fanbase and incredibly renowned cast, which includes Ralph Fiennes, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Lea Seydoux, Willem Dafoe and Edward Norton.

The Grand Budapest Hotel, initially released in 2014, has captivated audiences over the years with its enchanting script, exceptional acting and stunning cinematography. The film, which holds an impressive 92% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, lands on Netflix today alongside the likes of Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited and The French Dispatch, reports the Express.

The synopsis for The Grand Budapest Hotel reads: “In the 1930s, the Grand Budapest Hotel is a popular European ski resort, presided over by concierge Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes). Zero, a junior lobby boy, becomes Gustave’s friend and protégé.

“Gustave prides himself on providing first-class service to the hotel’s guests, including satisfying the sexual needs of the many elderly women who stay there. When one of Gustave’s lovers dies mysteriously, Gustave finds himself the recipient of a priceless painting and the chief suspect in her murder.”

Enthusiasts have made the effort to share their admiration for the film on the review aggregator platform, with one stating: “An utter delight of a film that I continue to revisit on a regular basis. It might actually be Wes Anderson’s best movie, which is saying quite a lot.”

A second commented: “Probably one of my all-time favourite movies! Well-designed visuals with beautiful execution, fantastic casting, very moving story AND music…what else can I say?”.

“This has been by far the absolute highlight of Wes’s career and he probably will never be able to top this masterpiece. Well done to the whole cast and crew!”.

Another concurred: “Masterpiece! Lost count of how many times I saw it. Incredible journey through a weird and wonderful story, fascinating all the way. Quirky and sophisticated at the same time.

“Unique in so many ways, the cinematography is something else. The whole cast really shines in character. Fast moving, lots of twists and turns, unpredictable, highly entertaining. Just love it..

“Absolute gem. Wes Anderson at his best,” a fourth remarked, whilst another gushed: “Love it! Wildly entertaining. Great cast!” One admirer succinctly labelled it as “perfect”, while another declared: “It is a cinematic masterpiece.”

The Grand Budapest Hotel will be available to stream on Netflix today, February 12.

Sandra Horsfield, at Investec Economics, said: “The big picture is that the UK economy had defied the gloomy popular narrative and outperformed expectations during 2025 – our forecast equates to GDP growth of 1.4% for the full year, whereas the consensus forecast in January 2025 had been for 1.2% GDP growth.

The fitness enthusiast previously shared her tips for eating fast food while trying to shed pounds

Calorie counting, ditching carbs, and piling your plate high with greens are often part of a ‘typical’ weight-loss diet. But what if you’re craving a McDonald’s?

One fat-loss coach has suggested that eating meals from the popular fast-food chain may actually help you shed pounds, provided you stick to other strict rules. In 2024, she explained her perspective in a brief Instagram video and stressed that it won’t require swapping burgers for salads.

At the time, Rosi May said: “This is how you lose weight by eating McDonald’s and don’t worry, I’m not about to tell you to swap your burger for a salad because nobody’s going to Maccies for a salad.”

She then added: “And I’m not going to expect you to change your beef burger to a plain chicken burger, I am going to show you some like-for-like swaps that you can make. If you watch my videos, then you know by now that when it comes to losing weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit.”

Rosie said that shedding pounds shouldn’t mean sacrificing tasty treats, highlighting how straightforward substitutions can slash over 500 calories from your order. Whilst 500 calories might sound modest, she insisted it adds up to 1lb across seven days and 52lb over 12 months.

She continued: “Meal number one, we have large fries, a Double Quarter Pounder with cheese and a large full fake Coke. Altogether, this meal comes in at 1,385 calories, which for most people is a big chunk of their daily calories.

“So, how can you still enjoy a McDonald’s but at much lower calories? The easiest swap to make is switching a full-fat Coke to a Coke Zero or a Diet Coke, which means that you save 212 calories. And to be honest, I think it tastes better.”

Following that, Rosi downgraded her large serving of chips to a medium-sized portion. Usually, large helpings contain roughly 444kcal whilst medium fries clock in at 337kcal – slashing over 100 calories.

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“And then finally, you switch your double Quarter Pounder with cheese to a double cheeseburger,” she added. “Altogether this will save you over 500 calories and you still get to have a double cheeseburger, fries and a drink. But it doesn’t take up all your calories for the day.

“And that way you can still enjoy things like McDonald’s whilst you’re on a weight loss journey. But it doesn’t have to be boring, you just have to get clever with it.”

Rosi’s clip sparked a flood of enthusiastic responses on Instagram, with numerous people revealing they’d employed comparable tactics. At the time, one person wrote: “Love this!! I’ve lost 50lbs and now in the mindset of ‘eat what you want, add what you need’. Having a maccies for tea and making sure I prioritise high protein at breakfast & lunch.”

Another added: “When I was a teen, I was a little chubby. I ate McDonalds everyday but limited my calories to 1000/day and I lost a lb a day. A lot of people don’t understand that you can eat anything you want and lose weight, as long as you burn more calories than what you take in.”

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below

The Hindu community will be forced to find a new place of worship

Peterborough City Council’s ruling cabinet has agreed to sell the New England Complex, home of the city’s Bharat Hindu Samaj Hindu temple.

At its monthly Cabinet meeting last night (February 10), councillors agreed to authorise the disposal of the Council’s freehold interest in the much-used Millfield complex.

The council believes the sale will help its attempts to balance its budget. However, the proposed sale of the property will mean the Hindu community who have used the temple for 40 years will be forced to find a new place of worship.

The meeting was attended by supporters of Bharat Hindu Samaj, which itself tabled a bid of £1.3m as part of the bidding process.

Campaigners were hopeful the initial decision to sell the complex made by Cabinet last December would be reversed following fervent appeals by city councillors and the Hindu community. Indeed, the reason this item had been sent back to Cabinet for re-evaluation was due to campaigners convincing the council’s Sustainable Future Scrutiny Committee to call in that initial decision last month.

Vishal Vichare was one of those supporters who attended. He asked the Cabinet: “Why has the council relied solely on financial value when it will have been entitled to balance social value against financial value?”

Councillor Mohammed Jamil (Lab), the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Governance, replied directly: “As part of the bidding process, social value was taken into account and officers from our property board came up with the decision that they did in the manner that they did.”

John Howard, the Conservative councillor for Hargate & Hempsted was invited to address the Cabinet on the matter on behalf of his party leader, Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald.

Cllr Howard sought assurance from Cabinet that the needs of the 13,500 Hindus from across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire who currently use the New England Complex would be accommodated before the new owners took over the complex: “It would be really unforgivable to ask one body to remove another body when it’s a long-standing tenant,” he said, adding “We have a moral obligation, I feel, to make sure that move happens first.”

When eventually asked for a show of hands, the Cabinet agreed to the recommendation to authorise the disposal of the Council’s freehold interest in the New England Complex “with the benefit of the additional and original detail to the preferred bidder”, subject to “appropriate transitional provisions for existing tenants.”

At this point, supporters of Bharat Hindu Samaj left the council’s Sand Martin House HQ, en-masse.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service following the meeting’s conclusion, Cllr Jamil said: “I fully understand their disappointment,” he said,”but let’s turn this disappointment into something where we can work together.

“The council has offered its services to working with the [Hindu] community to find another building. We will work with them and I’m sure we will be able to accommodate them.”

Eight people have been killed in one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings, which also left the attacker dead.

Police have now shared more details about the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, a small town with a population of just 2,400, in British Columbia on Tuesday.

Here’s what we know so far.

What do we know about the suspect?

The attacker has been identified by police as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said at a news conference on Wednesday.

He said the suspect, from Tumbler Ridge, identified as female but was born a biological male, and began to transition around six years ago.

The suspect was found at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The deputy commissioner added that Van Rootselaar was not currently attending Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and had dropped out about four years ago.

“Police had attended that (family) residence on multiple occasions over the past several years, dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect,” Mr McDonald added.

A public alert sent to phones initially described the shooter as “a female in a dress with brown hair”.

Police superintendent Ken Floyd earlier said the suspect’s motive remained unclear and that authorities are “not in a place to understand why or what may have motivated this tragedy”.

Suspect’s mother among those killed

Police said they received a report of an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which has around 175 students, at 1.20pm on Tuesday (8.20pm UK time).

When officers entered and searched the school, they found multiple victims dead.

An individual believed to be the attacker was also found dead with what appeared to be a self‑inflicted injury.

At the school, police said those killed were a 39-year-old female teacher, three 12-year-old female students, and two male students aged 12 and 13.

They said two further victims, a 39-year-old female and an 11-year-old male, were found at a local home.

When questioned by reporters, police said the 39-year-old was the mother of the suspect, with the 11-year-old thought to be their brother or step-brother.

The attacker’s family members were killed first, before the school shootings.

Initial reports claimed another victim died while on the way to hospital, but Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said that “a female with significant injuries” survived the shooting.

Overnight, police said approximately 25 others were being assessed for non‑life‑threatening injuries.

Children ‘barricaded themselves’ as parents waited for news

Children who were at the school at the time were frantically trying to barricade themselves in their classrooms as the attack unfolded, according to local reports.

Citing the reports, Sky News’ international correspondent John Sparks said: “They were putting desks and chairs up against the doors, trying to keep the shooter out of their classroom.”

There were also “desperate scenes” in the town of Tumbler Ridge during the attack, Sparks added.

“Parents were shepherded to a local hall to await news of whether their children were affected by this.

“In a tight-knit community like this, it’s very difficult for the people who live there.”

‘I probably know every victim’

Canadians in the small town, located more than 600 miles north of Vancouver, near the border with Alberta, are grieving after the tragedy.

Darryl Krakowka, mayor of Tumbler Ridge, told reporters: “I broke down. It’s devastating.”

He described the town’s small community as a “big family” and added: “I have lived here for 18 years. I probably know every one of the victims.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney offered his “prayers and deepest condolences” to the families and friends of the victims after the “horrific” attack.

“I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens,” he said in a statement.

“Our ability to come together in crisis is the best of our country – our empathy, our unity, and our compassion for each other.”

The premier of British Columbia, David Eby, added: “Our hearts are in Tumbler Ridge tonight with the families of those who have lost loved ones.

“Government will ensure every possible support for community members in the coming days, as we all try to come to terms with this unimaginable tragedy.”

The school has said it will be closed for the rest of the week.

What are the gun laws in Canada?

While its neighbour has some of the most relaxed firearms legislation in the world, Canadian laws are much stricter.

Anyone wanting to possess a firearm in Canada needs to obtain a possession and acquisition licence (PAL).

Some types of firearm – such as handguns – need a restricted possession and acquisition licence (RPAL), which is issued by police.

In 2022, the government introduced a freeze on the importing, buying or selling of handguns.

A previous mass shooting in Nova Scotia in April 2020, in which an attacker killed 22 people, prompted the government to announce an immediate ban on the sale and use of assault-style weapons.

Justin Trudeau, then the prime minister, announced the ban of more than 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms, including two guns used by the 2020 gunman as well as the AR-15 and other weapons that have been used in a number of mass shootings in the US.

But almost six years later, possession of such firearms is not illegal – yet.

A compensation programme in which gun owners register their interest in turning in these firearms in exchange for cash runs until the end of March this year.

Owners have until the end of October to hand over any banned assault weapons.

After this, anyone in possession “will be breaking the law and could face criminal prosecution”, government briefing documents say.

It has not yet been made public what type of firearm or firearms were used in the most recent attack.

Marten and Gordon, who had five children together, four of whom were removed into care before Victoria’s birth, noted the couple’s “persistent reluctance to engage” with authorities, having moved around the country between 2017 and 2023, “with each move coinciding with escalating safeguarding concerns”.

The Thursday letters page looks forward to tonight’s State of Play showcase, as one reader argues for an official demake of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Mind-blowing rumour
The idea that Sony could start making its first party games multiformat is crazy to me. I know they’ve done it with a Lego game (because most Lego players are on Switch) and a couple of old remasters but the idea that you’d do it with a brand new God Of War game, even if it is a spin-off, blows my mind.

My main question is: why? Why do you want to give less reasons to buy your console? I realise, obviously, they’ll make more money on overall sales, but at what cost? You just diminish the point of the console further and if you carry on along that path it just becomes no different to a mid-range gaming PC. Unlike the Switch 2, which is the only place to buy Nintendo games.

Even if they only stick with doing it with lower profile games, to me it just dilutes the whole point of what PlayStation is. Do they really want to turn into Xbox? Are they looking at them right now and wishing they were them? Sony hasn’t made sense to me all generations and while I hope today’s State of Play will be good, I’ve now got a bad feeling about it.
Crassus

First among equals
So it’s looking pretty likely that we’ll see a new God Of War game today, but I hope the State of Play is firmly focused on first party games and not just random third party stuff. As people have been saying, this is an opportunity to turn a corner and get back to what people loved about the PlayStation 4.

Whether that’s going to happen I don’t know but I expect to see Saros, Marvel’s Wolverine, and ideally at least two new games. I’ll settle for a God Of War spin-off but I can’t say the idea of a 2.5D Metroidvania excites me very much.

PlayStation used to stand not just for the console but great games and we just have not seen enough of them in recent years. One big exclusive a year is not enough, especially when you usually have only one or two others even announced. We’ll see what today brings but if it’s just time-wasting fluff I won’t be happy.
Grando

Positive thoughts
I want to be positive about Thursday’s State of Play, so let’s hope that we get plenty of new announcements and not just 20 minutes a piece on games we already know plenty about, which is how a lot of these things seem to work out.

There’ll definitely be Saros, because it’s out soon, but I’ll be fine if there’s no Wolverine or Intergalactic, because they’re a way out and will probably have dedicated showcases. I’d much rather see some new games, ideally a new non-God Of War game from Santa Monica Studio, a new IP from Bluepoint, and a new Uncharted from someone else – maybe Bend Studio.

New, new, new is my wish and positivity. We’ll see how it turns out but I feel this one is Sony’s to lose now, in terms of good publicity.
Kiefer

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Pokémon unmade
I can very easily imagine Nintendo charge for re-releases of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and I might even buy them, but that doesn’t mean I approve of it. I don’t know what else they could’ve done though, does anyone want them to remake the games again with the graphics of Scarlet and Violet? It’s not a very appealing thought, is it?

To be honest, I’d rather they demake Scarlet and Violet to look like FireRed and LeafGreen. For me Pokémon only really works as a 2D, top-down game. You have to use your imagination then but when it’s 3D the low-tech graphics and weak open worlds end up making things look kind of embarrassing and broken.

To live up to the potential a 3D game would have to have a huge budget and it’s obvious by now that Nintendo is not going to pay for that. So I’d rather have a state-of-the-art 2D game than a shonky 3D one.
Tacle

State of team-up
I’m wondering what the chances of GTA 6 turning up at the State of Play is? We keep getting these rumours of Rockstar having a marketing deal with Sony, which I easily believe, but we don’t see any evidence of it. If anything, Sony has gone out of their way to ignore GTA 6 so far.

None of the GTA 6 marketing so far has involved another company but I think if that was going to change it would be to announce a PlayStation 5 (and PS5 Pro) bundle. I am almost certain this will happen and the only real question is if it gets revealed this week or not. I could see it being the mic drop at the end, especially if there’s a bit of new footage. That would be cool.
Trepsils

Hardware emulation
I’m really curious to see what Nintendo will do about emulating DS and 3DS games because I don’t see how plugging in a second screen to the bottom of the Switch 2 would work. It’d make it massive and heavy, and how would you hold it exactly?

The obvious way to do it is to turn the Switch vertically and have both screens showing that way. They’d be pretty small but probably the same size as the actual thing and I’m not sure you really want to be showing off those lo-res graphics on a big giant screen.

The only other obvious thing to do is have some kind of special made device, like the Virtual Boy thing, but then you’re still putting the Switch 2 inside it, which is also going to make it clunky and heavy. Maybe you could make the device and have the Switch 2 stream to it, but then it wouldn’t be very portable.

It’s a problem but I hope they work out something good, because there are so many great games that are trapped on the DS and 3DS that are going to fade from history very quickly, because no one can play them anymore. Some are digital downloads too, so you can’t even buy an old cart off of eBay.

I see that it was necessary, but I miss Nintendo having a separate, dedicated portable. Those games had to be small and compact and I appreciated that. Apart from anything else it meant they never took that long to make, so there was always a steady stream of new games. You definitely don’t get that anymore and it’s a shame.
Oscar

Absolute Zero
Great suggestion from Wotan about the Xbox name. I think there will be three versions: Zero, Ultimate Zero, and Complete Zero.

Strangely, Zero will be the most powerful and the other two will be less so. Complete Zero won’t have a compatible controller, as you can control it just by holding your breath.
Ed

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Household names
It looks like Nioh 3 has followed its predecessors and completely passed under everyone’s radar. I know it apparently did some decent numbers on Steam when it first came out but after that I haven’t heard a single word about the game. I’ve definitely not talked to anyone that’s played it or is even aware of it.

It makes me wonder how popular some games really are. Are they selling in the thousands or even just hundreds, if you take into account even a big population like the UK. Getting to a million sales, which is apparently the minimum to be a ‘hit’, sounds like a lot but it’s really not when you consider how many gamers there are in the world, let alone people in general.

It’s funny how few games can be trusted to be 100% recognisable to any age. I’d say Sonic and Mario are probably the only ones, since they need to be old too. Probably most people have heard of Fortnite and Minecraft, but unless they have kids I wonder how well they understand them. Kind of similar thing for Call Of Duty.

This is why Nintendo does so well, because even it’s spin-offs, like Mario Kart, are globally recognised and that does so much work for them. No matter how many awards it might win Nioh is never going to be a household name, and that’s a shame given its quality.
Hysteve

GC: Those weren’t Steam numbers, the game sold over 700,000 copies on PlayStation 5 and PC in four days, which is really good for a game like that. We agree it doesn’t get talked about much, but it didn’t get two sequels because it doesn’t sell. Up until last May the first two games had sold over 8 million copies.

Inbox also-rans
My wish for the State of Play is a Dino Crisis remake. If you can get two Code Violet games, surely Capcom can give us one official game?
Korbie

I can never hear the name Mega-CD and not think of the ads in Viz calling them mega seedy, with a picture of S&M guy. Those were the days.
Cobalt84

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Slattery’s original fusion gateaux combined four different delicious sections – chocolate and Baileys mousse sponge, orange mousse with orange sponge, Tia Maria‑soaked sponge with coffee mousse and strawberry mousse with sponge.

Each section was designed to serve several people who may want something different, making it a popular choice for sharing.

Following its success, the bakery later introduced a summer fruit version, further cementing the product’s popularity.

The new release has been developed after the increasing demand for the firm’s ‘Ultimate Brownies’.

Confectioner Jeanette, part of the Slattery team, wanted to offer something lighter than a brownie but “still indulgent” and adapted the flavours into a lighter, mousse‑based dessert.

The new Chocolate Bar Fusion Gateaux includes four distinct flavours – Biscoff, chocolate mint, chocolate orange and Bueno – and is freshly made to order.

The new fusion gateaux launched this month (Image: supplied)

Jo Naven at Slattery said: “We’ve been making fusion gateaux for over 20 years now.

“The original idea was always about having one cake that suited everyone. Our original fusion gateaux have four different sections: Chocolate and Baileys mousse sponge, orange mousse with orange sponge, Tia Maria-soaked sponge with coffee mousse, and strawberry mousse with sponge.

“Each section is cut into three slices, so it’s always been a really popular sharing dessert. Because that idea worked so well, we later did a summer fruits version too, which proved people really like the choice and variety in one gateaux.

“More recently, we’ve seen just how popular our Ultimate Brownies have become, especially the different chocolate bar and Biscoff flavours.

“One of our talented confectioners  Jeanette, wanted to take those flavours and turn them into a proper dessert version – something lighter than a brownie, made with fresh cream mousse, but still indulgent.

“That’s where the Chocolate Bar Fusion Gateaux came from. It’s designed as a sharing dessert, with four different flavours Biscoff, chocolate mint, chocolate orange and Bueno, so everyone can choose what they like.

“It’s ideal for families or for when you’ve got guests round, and it follows the same idea we’ve always had with fusion gateaux – one dessert, lots of choice.”

The Chocolate Bar Fusion Gateaux costs £44 and orders must be placed 48 hours in advance.

Founded in 1967, Slattery has grown from a traditional craft bakery into one of Greater Manchester’s best-known patisseries, operating its shop, chocolatier and tearoom on Bury New Road.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, is believed to be behind the deadly attack

The first pictures have emerged of the suspected school shooter in one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, is suspected of fatally shooting six people and wounding 25 others at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday, February 10.

The attack is the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history after 14 students were killed at Montreal’s L’Ecole Polytechnique in 1989.

A chilling photograph, shared by Australian news site news.com.au, shows Van Rootselaar smiling and holding a rifle. It is unclear how old Van Rootselaar was in the photograph.

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Those killed at the school include three 12-year-old girls, two boys aged 12 and 13, and a 39-year-old female teacher, police said. Two others, a 39-year-old woman named Jennifer Strang and an 11-year-old boy were identified by police as Van Rootselaar’s mum and stepbrother. They were shot by Van Rootselaar before the attack on the school.

Authorities said Van Rootselaar, who identified as transgender and went by female pronouns, died by a self-inflicted gunshot on the school premises, bringing the death toll to nine.

Residents of Tumbler Ridge, a remote town of about 2,400 people in the foothills of the Rockies, were sent a text alert on Tuesday afternoon with instructions to shelter in place due to an active shooter. The Mirror reported that the alert described the suspect as a “female in a dress with brown hair”.

Officers entered the school to locate the threat and within found the shooter deceased. He said the suspect has been identified as Van Rootselaar, a resident of Tumbler Ridge.

Two firearms, a long gun and a modified handgun, were recovered.

Asked by reporters if Van Rootselaar was transgender, Deputy Commissioner McDonald said police were identifying the suspect “as they chose to be identified in public and in social media”.

“I can say that Jesse was born as a biological male who approximately six years ago began to transition to female and identified as female, both socially and publicly,” he added.