B.C. school shooting felt by southern Alberta town that experienced the same decades ago
Posted Feb 11, 2026 6:51 pm.
Last Updated Feb 11, 2026 6:52 pm.
As the community of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., grapples with the aftermath of a deadly shooting at its secondary school, residents of Taber, Alberta, say they know the pain and confusion that follows such violence.
Eight people, including the suspected shooter, were killed Tuesday afternoon at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in B.C.’s Peace region.
Police later discovered two additional victims at a home in the community. Roughly two dozen others were injured at the school.
For many in Taber, the tragedy has reopened memories of April 28, 1999, when a 14‑year‑old student opened fire inside W.R. Myers High School, killing 17‑year‑old Jason Lang and injuring two others. The attack came just eight days after the Columbine massacre in Colorado.
“All these things that happen are unexplainable, and unnecessary,” says Shannon Bael, a longtime Taber resident, reflecting on the news from Tumbler Ridge.
The 1999 shooting left a lasting mark on the town of 7,700. A plaque and scholarship in Lang’s name remain at the school.
Ena Cassell remembers the fear that swept through Taber that day.
“We were at a job site, and the welder I worked with had a son at the school,” she recalled. “It was very frightful. We ran into town and into the auditorium, you could feel everything in the air. It was horrifying, just horrifying.”
Hearing about the events in Tumbler Ridge, she says, brings those emotions back.
“I can imagine what they’re going through. It was horrific, terribly horrific.”
When asked how a community begins to heal, Bael paused.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I think step by step, through guidance and love, understanding, empathy, and sympathy. All the things people have put aside now.”
Taber Mayor Andrew Prokop offered condolences in a statement, saying, “Our thoughts are with the community facing loss today, and we believe their story should remain the focus.”
More than two decades later, Taber continues to recover from the scars of its own tragedy, a process residents say will now begin in Tumbler Ridge.
