US resident charged over alleged role in deadly Canada school shooting

A Washington state resident has been charged with conspiring to commit murder in a foreign country after US authorities alleged that months of online conversations, financial assistance and technical support helped enable one of Canada’s deadliest school shootings. Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old James Cody Bryant of Bellingham communicated frequently with 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar for at least six months before the February 10 attack in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. According to a criminal complaint, Bryant allegedly discussed the planned violence, provided practical advice, sent money for items connected to the attack and agreed to help broadcast the shooting online.

Van Rootselaar killed her mother and stepbrother at home before driving to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where authorities say she killed five children aged 12 and 13 and an educational assistant. Twenty-five other people were wounded before Van Rootselaar died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following an exchange of gunfire with police.

The allegations against Bryant are particularly significant because prosecutors are not describing an individual who merely encountered disturbing material online after the fact. They allege Bryant knew about the developing plan for months, at times tried to persuade Van Rootselaar not to proceed, but never contacted law enforcement and continued providing assistance as the attack approached. Bryant has been charged on a criminal complaint, and the allegations have not yet been proven in court.

Federal prosecutors allege months of online contact preceded the Tumbler Ridge attack

Investigators say Bryant and Van Rootselaar originally met online several years before the shooting and were communicating regularly through Discord by August 2025. According to the criminal complaint, conversations increasingly centered on Van Rootselaar’s desire to kill family members and other people, while discussions about possible locations, weapons and methods became more detailed.

The US Department of Justice alleges Bryant offered tactical advice aimed at increasing the impact of the attack and discussed aspects of how a shooting location could affect victims’ ability to escape. Prosecutors also say Bryant provided guidance on firearms and helped Van Rootselaar consider how the planned violence could be carried out.

Money allegedly moved from advice into material assistance. Investigators say Bryant sent funds for several items Van Rootselaar wanted in connection with the attack, including money associated with a lighter later used in constructing an improvised explosive device. That device was detonated inside the school, according to the Justice Department.

Authorities further allege Bryant advised Van Rootselaar on concealing their communications, including deleting online messages and using virtual private networks while streaming. Those details are likely to become important as prosecutors seek to demonstrate that the relationship went beyond conversations about violence and instead amounted to an agreement to facilitate murder.

The Justice Department has stressed that the criminal complaint contains allegations rather than established facts. Bryant is presumed innocent unless prosecutors ultimately prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

Livestream allegations have become one of the most disturbing parts of the US case

One of the central allegations involves Bryant’s supposed agreement to assist with livestreaming the attack. Investigators say the pair repeatedly tested streaming equipment before the shooting to determine whether the video would function properly and whether viewers would be able to see what was happening.

Federal authorities allege Van Rootselaar was concerned that a livestream posted through her own accounts would attract little attention because she lacked a substantial social-media following. The FBI has said Bryant’s willingness to help broadcast and amplify the attack may therefore have mattered to Van Rootselaar as the plan developed.

Investigators later found that a Twitch livestream began while Van Rootselaar was inside a vehicle with firearms before the school attack. The video reportedly lasted only around 20 seconds and was viewed by one other account before being disconnected.

The allegations highlight a wider challenge surrounding mass violence in the digital era. Livestreaming and social platforms can allow attackers to seek an audience far beyond the physical location of an incident, making online notoriety part of the planning process itself. In Bryant’s case, prosecutors appear prepared to argue that the promised broadcast was not an incidental detail but one component of the alleged conspiracy.

Authorities say Bryant considered reporting the plot but never alerted police

Perhaps the most consequential part of the criminal complaint concerns what prosecutors describe as repeated opportunities to intervene. Authorities acknowledge that Bryant sometimes urged Van Rootselaar to reconsider the attack. Messages described by investigators show moments in which Bryant expressed a desire for Van Rootselaar to choose another course and recognized that alerting authorities could potentially save lives.

Prosecutors contend that those concerns did not lead Bryant to contact police. Instead, Bryant allegedly reassured Van Rootselaar that law enforcement would not be notified and continued helping with the livestreaming plan.

The Justice Department alleges the opportunity for intervention continued even after Van Rootselaar had already killed two relatives at home. Authorities say Van Rootselaar had difficulty starting the family vehicle she intended to use to travel to the school, and Bryant allegedly provided advice that helped get the vehicle running.

That allegation could become particularly significant in the prosecution because it places the alleged assistance extremely close to the school attack itself. Rather than focusing solely on conversations months earlier, investigators are alleging that Bryant continued providing practical help as the violence was unfolding.

Acting US Attorney Neil Floyd said Bryant allegedly possessed information that could have been provided to law enforcement but chose not to alert authorities. FBI officials have similarly emphasized that investigators are examining whether Bryant’s assistance helped sustain Van Rootselaar’s willingness and ability to proceed.

Why the Washington charge creates an unusual cross-border murder conspiracy case

Bryant has been charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country, a federal offense that can carry a sentence of up to life imprisonment. Acting US Attorney Neil Floyd described the application of the charge to circumstances such as these as unusual. The alleged conspirator was located in Washington state, while the killings occurred across the international border in British Columbia, requiring cooperation among US federal investigators and Canadian authorities.

The investigation has involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Canadian officials have said it remains too early to determine whether Bryant could also face charges in Canada, although prosecution there could become possible if investigators conclude Canadian criminal laws were violated.

Bryant appeared in federal court following the arrest and was ordered detained ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 20. The federal public defender’s office is representing Bryant.

The case will require prosecutors to establish considerably more than the fact that Bryant knew Van Rootselaar or was aware of violent thoughts. A conspiracy case generally depends on proving an agreement to participate in criminal conduct, which makes the alleged financial assistance, livestream testing, secrecy discussions and help immediately before the shooting central to the government’s theory.

Defense attorneys will have opportunities to challenge how those communications should be interpreted, including messages in which Bryant allegedly tried to discourage Van Rootselaar. The distinction between disturbing conversations, knowledge of another person’s plans and intentional participation in a criminal conspiracy is likely to become one of the central legal issues as the case develops.

Tumbler Ridge arrest raises wider questions about warning signs before mass violence

The new US case adds another layer to scrutiny surrounding the warning signs that existed before the Tumbler Ridge killings. According to authorities, Van Rootselaar had repeatedly discussed murder, had a fixation on mass shootings and communicated extensively about violent plans before the attack.

The Bryant allegations are notable because they describe another person allegedly receiving those warnings directly rather than institutions attempting to reconstruct them afterward. If prosecutors’ account is established in court, investigators will have to examine how months of increasingly explicit planning remained outside the attention of law enforcement until after the killings occurred.

The case could also influence future discussions about how authorities investigate people who provide remote assistance to violent offenders. Physical presence at a crime scene is no longer necessary for someone to provide money, technical expertise, digital amplification or advice from hundreds of miles away.

That does not mean everyone exposed to disturbing online speech becomes legally responsible for another person’s actions. The Bryant prosecution instead appears likely to test where federal law draws the line when knowledge of a planned attack allegedly develops into concrete assistance designed to help carry it out.

For the families in Tumbler Ridge, the arrest cannot reverse what happened at the school. Five children, an educational assistant and two members of Van Rootselaar’s family were killed, while dozens of others survived injuries that continue to affect the community.

What the Washington prosecution may provide is a clearer reconstruction of the months before the attack and whether another person played a meaningful role in enabling it. The answer will now move from an FBI investigation into the federal court system, where prosecutors will have to prove that Bryant was not merely aware of Van Rootselaar’s intentions but became part of the alleged conspiracy that helped turn those intentions into an attack.

Key takeaways from the US arrest linked to the Tumbler Ridge school shooting

• Washington resident James Cody Bryant has been charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country.
• Federal prosecutors allege Bryant communicated with Jesse Van Rootselaar for at least six months before the Tumbler Ridge attack.
• Investigators say Bryant provided advice, money and technical assistance connected to the planned shooting.
• Bryant allegedly helped test livestreaming equipment and agreed to assist in broadcasting the attack.
• Authorities say Bryant discussed ways to conceal communications and allegedly sent money for items connected to the attack.
• Prosecutors acknowledge Bryant sometimes urged Van Rootselaar to reconsider but allege Bryant never alerted law enforcement.
• Eight victims were killed before Van Rootselaar died, while another 25 people were wounded.
• Bryant faces up to life in prison if convicted, while Canadian authorities are still considering whether additional legal action could follow.