Police, media respect Canada school shooting gunman's pronouns after he killed 8, wounded dozens more in rampage

Tumbler Ridge school shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar.

A troubled 18-year-old man was behind a school shooting in remote Canada on Wednesday that left at least eight dead and another 27 wounded, the country's deadliest school shooting in more than 30 years. The gunman fatally shot his mother and brother in the family's home before going to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and killing four students and a teacher, and then turning the gun on himself after engaging in a shootout with police officers. 

Police initially referred to Jesse Van Rootselaar as a "gunperson" on Wednesday, a description that raised eyebrows. Later in the day at a press conference, after a reporter accused police of hiding the fact that the shooter was transgender, a police spokesperson admitted that they were respecting the deceased Van Rootselaar's preferred pronouns. Watch a clip from the press conference below. 

In the day since Van Rootselaar carried out the rampage, much has emerged about the young man's mental state. According to reports, Van Rootselaar had begun identifying as a female at the age of 12 and in subsequent years openly discussed on social media wanting to live life as a "petite" woman. Authorities said he began "transitioning" at the age of 12, and that police had been called to the boy's home during mental health episodes during the ensuing years. Social media photos showed him appearing to look like a normal teenage boy for years, according to The New York Post, after he reportedly began "transitioning."

Despite all of the details about Van Rootselaar's life that have emerged, the Canadian authorities and almost the entire mainstream media continue to refer to Van Rootselaar using female pronouns, which has been drawing criticism from some. Libby Emmons, the editor in chief of The Post Millennial blasted The New York Times for "lying" about Van Rootselaar's sex in the paper's coverage of the story. And Bridget Phetasy, the host of multiple online shows and a columnist, said, "Attributing male crimes to females is journalistic malpractice."

"Journalism is meant to clarify reality, not reshape it," investigator journalist Gerald Posner pointed out on X while highlighting a Reuters headline that referred to Van Rootselaar as "female." Posner added, "Facts should come before ideology." Facts should come before ideolo

Meanwhile, videos discovered on social media continued to surface showing Van Rootselaar's troubled mental state, as Dinesh D'Souza pointed out. Watch below.