From NY Post: The stepfather of the transgender school shooter who slaughtered eight people has been in “unbearable pain” since the tragedy, he told The Post in his first detailed comments since the massacre.
Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old high school dropout, killed his mom Jennifer Strang, 39, and half-brother Emmett Jacobs, 11, on Tuesday before storming into Tumble Ridge Secondary School in a tiny British Columbia town and opening fire, authorities said.
His stepdad, Jean-Pierre Jacobs, has been left to try and pick up the pieces.
“I lost my little boy, a man’s pride and joy,” Jacobs said on Saturday. “Jennifer and I had our differences, but she did not deserve this, none of them did.”
“The pain I have been feeling from this tragedy is unbearable,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs has been estranged from his family for eight years and has been living in Alberta. He and Strang were not able to agree on visitation or communication after they separated.
“Emmett was beautiful boy. When I was around, he loved fishing and being outdoors with me, he was happy, smart and kind. If I could have continued to spend time with him, I would have.
“My heart has always ached for him, and I have missed him and my other surviving children tremendously.”
Jacobs went on to describe Van Rootselaar as a “troubled child,” saying he did what he could for him before the split with Strang.
“I had no idea it had gotten this bad,” he said.
As for his surviving children, who are living with Strang’s parents, he said he is “currently looking to what is best” for them and is waiting for the right time to get them.
“I am left here picking up the pieces of what’s left of my family in Tumbler Ridge,” Jacobs said. “There was much I never knew about and much she held from me. I truly forgive her for it all, despite everything.”
Jacobs said he would fight for custody if it came to that.
Father of Tumbler Ridge shooter releases statement, addresses ‘unforgivable act of violence’
He said the shooter’s mother did not allow him to be involved in raising their child from the beginninghttps://t.co/8t4MoYXvZq pic.twitter.com/TTcMRklJRY
— National Post (@nationalpost) February 14, 2026
Read more at NY Post
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