Five Dead, Two In Critical Condition In Saskatchewan, Canada, School Shooting

A school shooting in La Loche, Saskatchewan, Canada, on Friday has left five dead and two in critical condition, according to a report from CTV News. The identities of the victims are currently unknown, including whether they are staff or students.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the shooting in an emergency press conference from Davos, Switzerland, confirming that one person had been arrested, who also remains unidentified and may remain so.

“We all grieve with and stand with the community of La Loche and the province of Saskatchewan on this terrible and tragic day.

“Obviously, this is a parent’s worst nightmare. All of us across this country, our hearts are going out to the families and to the whole community.”

The shooting occurred at Dene High School in La Loche, a remote northern Saskatchewan town with a population of approximately 3,000. Located at the end of Highway 155, La Loche is notable as home to a significant number of First Nations peoples, approximately one-quarter of the population. The school is home to grades 7-12; students range in age from roughly 12-17 years old. The community is sufficiently remote that Saskatoon’s ambulance service had to be dispatched in the wake of the shooting — a distance of 500 km, or a little over 300 miles.

The RCMP locked down a nearby elementary school as a precaution, and the situation is currently described as being under control. Prime Minister Trudeau thanked first responders for acting “quickly and bravely,” as per a report from CBC.

“When I spoke with community leaders they obviously expressed that the community is reeling and all of us across this country’s hearts are going out to the family and to the whole community.”

Saskatchewan premiere Brad Wall issued a statement about the shooting on Facebook.

Hours earlier, Wall had been on Facebook and Twitter sniping at eastern Canadian politicians, declaring that “This is a sad day for our country,” a statement that would prove entirely too prescient.

NDP MP for the area and former mayor Georgina Jolibois also expressed her shock at the shooting, stating that she was “shaken up,” and that her own family members had been present at the school.

“As the former mayor of La Loche, I am shocked and saddened by the shooting in the Dene Building at the La Loche Community School in my riding. The shooting hits close to home for me as my family members attend the school.”

Unfortunately, as we see more news reports of near-daily mass shootings in America, these sorts of incidents are only likely to increase. Another CBC report published almost as the shooting was taking place indicates that the RCMP has seen a significant rise in the amount of guns and ammunition being seized at the border. Many of these are being purchased legally in America and are legal to carry there. One man who was stopped, traveling from Kentucky, was found to be carrying 147 undeclared, overcapacity magazines. While his motive was not mentioned, it’s a safe bet that he was intent on selling them in Canada. Another seizure was a fully-automatic rifle being transported by a traveler bound for Alaska, a weapon explicitly prohibited in the country.

And, as another CBC article illustrates, even some semi-automatic rifles that are permitted in Canada can be illegally be converted to full automatics through simple techniques available on the internet.

The RCMP is doing their best to stop gun smuggling at the border, but their efforts come as cold comfort to the seven victims of today’s mass shooting.

[AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Viktor Pivovarov, Moncton Times & Transcript]