U.S. prosecutors allege James Cody Bryant helped prepare the attack in Tumbler Ridge and agreed to livestream it. He is charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country.
James Cody Bryant, 30, was arrested in Washington state and charged with conspiring to murder people in a foreign country in connection with a school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, the U.S. Justice Department said Oct. 6. The allegations are set out in a criminal complaint; Bryant has not been convicted.
Investigators allege Bryant, of Bellingham, began communicating online with Jesse Van Rootselaar no later than August 2025. The Justice Department says he agreed to record and livestream the attack, advised the suspect and sent money. The Associated Press, citing federal officials, also reported that Bryant discussed ways to conceal their messages.
The shooting took place on Feb. 10, 2026. According to the Justice Department, Van Rootselaar, 18, first killed two people at a home, then went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she shot and killed five children and a school employee. The suspect died by suicide; other people were injured in the attack.
Bryant faces up to life in prison if convicted, the Justice Department said. The charge was filed in a federal criminal complaint.