As chaos raged and bullets flew, Maya Gebala tried to be a hero.
Now, she exists in the shadows between life and death where prayers rule more than medicine after taking three bullets during Jesse Van Rootselaar’s rampage Wednesday that left nine people dead and about 25 injured in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
The 12-year-old, now in a medically induced coma at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, tried to lock the library door to protect others.
“They heard the screams and chaos, and Maya and her classmates tried to close the library door and lock it,” Krysta Hunt, a cousin of Maya’s mother, said, according to theVancouver Sun.
The children did not know the lock was broken and would not close.
“Maya’s classmate ran for cover, and Maya spent an extra few seconds trying to lock the door. She was not successful,” Hunt said.
The transgender assailant entered, firing as Maya tried to find cover. She did not make it. One bullet hit her face; one struck her head; one hit her neck.
Maya Gebala, hero of Tumbler Ridge shooting, was shot in the head & neck protecting classmates. She’s 12.
Family said she might not survive the night but she defied odds & is still fighting for her life in critical at BC Children’s Hospital.#PrayForMayapic.twitter.com/16S6O3RNAx
— Bruce (@bruce_barrett)February 12, 2026
Source: VidNews » Feed
