{"id":591341,"date":"2026-02-15T08:25:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T08:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/591341\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T08:25:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T08:25:12","slug":"slain-mother-and-sibling-of-tumbler-ridge-shooter-were-caring-and-joyful-family-members-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/591341\/","title":{"rendered":"Slain mother and sibling of Tumbler Ridge shooter were caring and joyful, family members say"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Community members place flowers during a vigil to honor the victims of the Tumbler ridge mass shooting on Friday.PAIGE TAYLOR WHITE\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Family members of two of the victims of the Feb. 11 mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., <\/b>say they worry their loved ones\u2019 stories are being overshadowed by a dark cloud looming over their family because of their connection to the shooter.<\/p>\n

Russell Strang Jr. and his wife Ashley Strang, the brother and sister-in-law of Jennifer Strang, told The Globe and Mail in an interview, and in a written statement, that they are struggling with how to grieve because of the horrifying way their relatives were slain on Tuesday along with six other residents of Tumbler Ridge. <\/p>\n

Tight-knit Tumbler Ridge pulls together after \u2018unimaginable\u2019 tragedy<\/a><\/p>\n

Jennifer Strang, 39, and her son Emmett Jacobs, 11, were the first two victims of 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar \u2013 the eldest child of Jennifer Strang \u2013 who went on a shooting spree on Tuesday, killing her mother and half brother at their home before moving onto the local public school, killing six more and eventually turning the gun on herself. <\/p>\n

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Ashley Strang holds a photo of her sister-in-law Jennifer Strang, also identified by police as Jennifer Jacobs, and nephew Emmett, who were killed by Strang\u2019s oldest child in a shooting spree in Tumbler Ridge.Jesse Winter\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

In a statement to The Globe, Russell Strang and his wife, described the shooting as an \u201cawful and selfish act\u201d of their estranged niece. The couple lives in Tumbler Ridge as well, and not only have they lost relatives, they had connections to many of those killed at the school. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe mourn the devastating loss of Jennifer \u2013 a beloved sister and aunt \u2013 and our precious Emmett \u2013 a deeply loved nephew and cousin. They were cherished beyond measure,\u201d the Strangs said in their statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to us that their names are remembered,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThey were loved. They are loved. And they deserve to be honoured for the beautiful lives they lived.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remembering the Tumbler Ridge shooting victims: Eight lives lost<\/a><\/p>\n

The couple said they have not had contact with their niece for years and did not know the extent of the challenges in the household. They are asking people not to make assumptions which will only add further pain during an already devastating time. \u201cNot all families are close,\u201d said the statement.<\/p>\n

Russell Jr. and Ashley said in the statement that they are thankful that the Tumbler Ridge community has carried them through the \u201cdarkest days of their lives\u201d as they not only mourn their own family but every life lost. <\/p>\n

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Ashley Strang holds a photo of her nephew Emmett, who was killed alongside his mother.Jesse Winter\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Along with a 39-year-old educator, there were five children killed in the attack at the school and the Strangs said they knew many of them. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese children grew up alongside ours. They were friends with our children. Some we coached in hockey,\u201d they said in the statement. \u201cWe want to stand beside everyone \u2013 to grieve together, to pray together and to honour every innocent life taken. That is all we want: to be together as a community, supporting one another through this profound loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Separately in an interview with The Globe at their home on Friday, the couple said the focus should remain on the victims, survivors and families during this time of mourning. Fighting back tears, they described Jennifer and Emmett, hopeful that the community will remember them in this light along with the others.<\/p>\n

They described Emmett as a joyful child who loved all animals, but especially dogs, and brought his hands together and wiggled his fingers like a \u201cmastermind\u201d when he was excited. He was a calm, caring, free-spirited kid who loved his mother and siblings.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I could have been an uncle that was more involved. The what-ifs just played in my mind that first day, going in circles and circles,\u201d he said, tears falling down his cheeks. \u201cIt\u2019s sad because we don\u2019t have that many memories with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The couple described Emmett as a joyful child who loved all animals.Jesse Winter\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

The couple has urged Jennifer\u2019s surviving children to think about the good memories with Emmett <\/b>and mother. Russell Jr. laughed while sharing a story about Emmett and his younger brother John, 10, who accidentally nicked Emmett when casting his fishing rod into the water when they were smaller. Emmett, in his typical calm nature, was unbothered.<\/p>\n

Russell Jr. said he was aware his niece was troubled but did not know the extent of it. He said he\u2019s scared to think about what his sister was dealing with behind closed doors. He said, while they were not close, his family saw Jennifer and her other kids around town or at his parents\u2019 house for birthdays and holidays.<\/p>\n

Russell Jr. said Jennifer was strong-willed and stubborn but had a full heart for her family and friends. \u201cShe would take her last dollar to pay for something her kids wanted even if she couldn\u2019t pay the bills,\u201d he said, adding that she would pop by occasionally with extra food or gifts. \u201cShe was handed a tough life but was a great person,\u201d said Ashley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Community members place flowers during a vigil to honor the victims of the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":591342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2],"tags":[2147,50,52014],"class_list":["post-591341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-canada","tag-news","tag-nodelphi"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116073695335252337","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/591342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}