Prime Minister Carney, party leaders pay tribute at Tumbler Ridge vigil

The RCMP have released more details about the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. that rocked the small community of roughly 2,500 people and thrust it into a national spotlight.

The update came as the prime minister and several other politicians stood hand in hand at a vigil for those killed and injured. The superintendent of the Peace River South School District says the expectation is that students will not be returning to the high school where six people were killed and dozens more were hurt on Tuesday.

Police say officers from the five-person RCMP detachment arrived at the school to the sounds of fire alarms and a voice yelling from a window that the shooter was upstairs.

In seconds, they were through the door and up the stairs, and were met with gunshots, which were the sound of the killer, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, taking her own life.

WATCH MORE: Families share memories; RCMP releases photo of Tumbler Ridge shooter

Mounties say she brought a long gun and a modified rifle into the school with no specific target, and instead was hunting, prepared, and engaging anybody and everybody they could come in contact with.

Last night, Prime Minister Mark Carney and other politicians attended a vigil in the small community in North-Eastern British Columbia.

“When we leave here tonight, and some of you go back to quiet houses, empty rooms, please know that you’re not alone. When you wake up tomorrow, and the world feels impossible, know that millions of Canadians are with you. When the cameras are gone, and the silence sets in, know that we will be there and we need you to. May that grace bless us all.”

Friday’s vigil, which also featured speeches from conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and Governor General Mary Simon, saw more than a thousand people attend to pay their respects.

On the steps of the town hall, people placed candles, photos, teddy bears, and other items in honour of those who were killed.

“When we watch our kids go to school. Expect them to come back safely. When we’ve lost sight of them for even a second, it gives you a slight idea of the fear and heartache of the parents who are suffering today. There are as the PM said, no words to ever fill the infinite gap that is now in your life, said Pierre Poilievre.

Police have said that they expected to be finished with their investigation this weekend at the home where Van Rootselaar killed her mother and brother.

However, they said the forensic work would take much longer at the school.

Autopsies on the eight victims and the shooter are expected to be completed by the end of the weekend, and two children seriously injured at the school remain in the hospital.

WATCH MORE: Police identify Tumbler Ridge, B.C. shooter, country in mourning