Canadian news outlet used 'beauty filter' on image of trans Tumbler Ridge shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar: report

CityNews appeared to apply visual filters to an image of trans Tumbler Ridge mass shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar, also known as Jesse Strang, making the suspect appear more feminine.

Journalist Cosmin Dzsurdzsa posted: "What the hell is going on at @CityNewsVAN @TerrySchintz? Who is your visual editor greenlighting the beautification of a mass murderer?"

Nine people were killed and roughly 25 others injured in the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The 18-year-old suspect, identified as transgender, is also dead. Among the victims are the suspect’s mother, Jennifer Strang, and brother, Emmett.

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said the suspect “was born as a biological male” and that investigators “identified the suspect as they chose to be identified in public and social media.”

The violence began at a private residence, where two victims were found deceased. A family member reportedly alerted neighbors, leading to a police response. The suspect then went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where additional victims were shot. Most of those harmed were born in 2012 or 2013, McDonald said. Because of their ages, identities will only be released with family consent.

Authorities said the suspect had previously held a firearms license, which had expired. Investigators are still determining whether the recovered long gun and modified handgun were legally purchased and by whom.

The weapons were not registered to the shooter, police said.

The controversy comes days after MS NOW edited a segment of “Deadline: White House” after acknowledging it had used an AI-enhanced image of Alex Pretti while reporting on his death. Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis ICU nurse, was killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during an immigration enforcement operation.