OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
10:49 AM – Friday, February 13, 2026
A 12-year-old girl who was shot in the head and neck during Tuesday’s attack at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has survived beyond the most perilous early period doctors warned could be fatal, remaining in critical condition more than two days later.
The young girl has been fighting for her life in the hospital for roughly 72 hours now.
Maya Gebala, 12, was one of the at least 25 people wounded in Canada’s deadliest school shooting in decades, an attack that claimed eight lives, plus the shooter, an 18-year-old biological male who identified as a transgender woman at the time of the attack.
The shooter, identified by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald stated on Wednesday that the initial count of 10 victims, announced by police on Tuesday, was incorrect since one victim, who was in extremely critical condition and believed to have died during an airlift, was later successfully resuscitated by medical staff.
That particular victim was 12-year-old Maya.
Late on Wednesday, Maya’s mother, Cia Edmonds, had shared an emotional update from Vancouver Children’s Hospital, where Maya was airlifted in critical condition. “We were warned that the damage to her brain was too much for her to endure, and she wouldn’t make the night,” Edmonds wrote in a social media post. “Today started as any other. Now, however, my 12-year-old daughter is fighting for her life.”
“Update 2: Day of recovery. Shes moved!!. Its stimulus, a kick, a hand move, but its something!!. Its truely something new in almost 48 hours. Keep up the positive vibes. #prayformaya We need to know this isnt it. She will continue to improve despite those opinions. We will also be having a fresh look with a second opinion. We are so incredibly grateful for the out pour of support litterallty around the world!. We still hold strong for the families who arent so fortunate. Pray for our community. Pray for support. Pray for healing. Pray that all the young minds thay are forced to live in memories, that they l can to grieve and eventually move forward with their heads held so high. We love you, and we are thinking about all of you from the ICU. #TumblerStrong We are all here for everyone.
EDIT: I didn’t see this yesterday, with dried blood, and now we see there is a track from a bullet across her cheek, and through her ear lobe…. thisnone she would have felt. The bullet that grazed her cheek, before the one that went through her head.. my poor baby. I cannot imagine the fear in her heart on these moments. I pray to the universe that she finds herself able to tell me, so I can hold her and feel her sadness,” Cia, her mother, posted on Facebook.
As of Friday at 10:30 a.m. PT, her parents have reported seeing “incredible improvements,” including Maya coughing for the first time and showing slight movements in her hand and leg.
While Maya has survived the initial trauma, the long-term outlook remains harrowing. Her mother warned that even if she continues to recover physically, the trajectory of her life has been irrevocably altered. The damage to her head and neck suggests a “distressing quality of life” ahead, with potential for permanent neurological impairment and a grueling, years-long road of rehabilitation.
The small mountain community of Tumbler Ridge has been shattered by the scale of the recent violence. The investigation revealed that Van Rootselaar began the rampage at home, killing his mother, Jennifer Jacobs, 39, and his 11-year-old stepbrother, Emmett, before driving to the secondary school.
Inside the school, the shooter opened fire in a stairwell and the library.
The British Columbia RCMP has since updated the public on the names of the child victims, in addition to the teaching assistant who tried to shield students from harm, in order to honor their lives.
- Abel Mwansa, 12: Remembered by his father as a “bright future” who loved science and experiments.
- Ticaria “Tiki” Lampert, 12: Described as the “glue” of her family and a “hero” to her seven siblings.
- Kylie Smith, 12: An aspiring artist who loved anime and dreamed of moving to Toronto for art school.
- Zoey Benoit, 12: Remembered by her mother as a “resilient, vibrant, and strong” girl who brought laughter to everyone.
- Ezekiel Schofield, 13: The oldest of the student victims; his family has asked for privacy while they grieve.
- Emmett Jacobs, 11: The shooter’s stepbrother. He was killed at the family home on Fellers Avenue before the shooter went to the school.
- Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39: A dedicated educational assistant at the school.
Jennifer Jacobs, 39, the shooter’s mother, was also among the victims.
McDonald confirmed that Van Rootselaar was born male and “had transitioned to female socially and publicly” approximately six years ago. Local authorities also emphasized that Van Rootselaar had a history of poor mental health, with police having visited the family home as recently as the spring of 2025.
A GoFundMe page has been established to support Maya’s family as they remain by her bedside in Vancouver. The town also held a vigil on Wednesday night, where Maya was described by neighbors as “funky, vivacious, and full of life.”
“She was the light of our world,” one family friend said. “Now we just want her to have a world to come back to.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney has ordered flags on federal buildings to be flown at half-mast for seven days as the investigation into a motive continues.
You can find Maya’s GoFundMe, “to provide relief for Cia and Maya during this devastating time,” here.
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