SEATTLE: A 30-year-old Bellingham, Washington resident, James Cody Bryant, was arrested on Tuesday on a criminal complaint charging conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country for Bryant’s role in a February 10, 2026, school shooting in British Columbia, Canada, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, announced.
Bryant was in frequent communication with school shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar in the six months leading up to the Tumbler Ridge school shooting that killed six people and seriously injured others. The criminal complaint details several different ways Bryant encouraged and aided Van Rootselaar’s plan including agreeing to broadcast the attack.
“The Tumbler Ridge Secondary School shooting was a horrific tragedy for that small community and for all of Canada. Indeed, here in the Pacific Northwest we felt the pain of those families devastated by this violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “It is even more profoundly disturbing to learn that a resident of Western Washington had a role in the attack and took steps – providing counsel, technical advice, and money to the shooter planning such a tragedy.”
“On behalf of the FBI, I want to express heartfelt sympathy for the victims of this tragedy and their loved ones,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “No investigation can undo the fear and suffering caused by the horrific events of this February or bring these individuals back to their families, school, or community. We mourn with you. We hope the charge announced today demonstrates our commitment to pursue justice for the victims who lost their lives, or were injured, in this shocking act of violence. As part of that commitment, FBI Seattle remains dedicated to working with our law enforcement partners to hold this conspirator accountable for assisting in this terrible affair.”
“We remain mindful that no investigative milestone can undo the harm caused that day, but we hope it reflects our ongoing commitment to seeking answers and pursuing all available evidence,” says Assistant Commissioner Elija Rain, Acting Commanding Officer, BC RCMP. “I would like to thank the FBI Seattle and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington for their partnership, professionalism, and commitment throughout this complex investigation. Their cooperation and expertise have been invaluable in advancing the work across jurisdictions and ensuring that all available evidence could be thoroughly examined.”
On February 10, 2026, Jesse Van Rootselaar killed two people at her home and then drove to the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where she shot and killed five children ages 12 and 13 and killed an educational assistant. Van Rootselaar used an improvised explosive device to damage the school and tried to get into other classrooms by firing through locked doors. Van Rootselaar exchanged gunfire with police and ultimately committed suicide.
Shortly after the shooting, law enforcement learned Van Rootselaar had been in frequent communication with someone via the platform Discord. That person was identified as Bryant. According to the criminal complaint, Bryant and Van Rootselaar began communicating over Discord no later than August 2025, about Van Rootselaar’s plan to kill multiple people in a shooting in Canada. Numerous conversations between Bryant and Van Rootselaar are detailed in the criminal complaint.
During these conversations, Bryant allegedly agreed to assist Van Rootselaar in a variety of ways: Bryant agreed to record and broadcast Van Rootselaar’s live stream of the murders; on multiple occasions, Bryant assisted Van Rootselaar in testing the livestreaming equipment to ensure it was functioning and would provide a viewable image of the planned killings; Bryant provided tactical advice on how to increase the carnage and what firearms to use; Bryant sent money to Van Rootselaar to purchase various items the shooter wanted in connection with the school attack, including a lighter that would be used to construct an explosive device detonated during the attack; mere moments before the shooting, Bryant confirmed that Bryant was receiving the livestream; and at various times Bryant advised Van Rootselaar about keeping the murder plot secret by deleting their messages and using Virtual Private Networks (VPN) for streaming the video of the shooting.
At various times leading up to the attack, Bryant assured Van Rootselaar that Bryant would not turn her in to law enforcement and would be there to handle the live streaming. In various conversations between August and the February shooting, Bryant tried to talk Van Rootselaar out of doing the attack. But ultimately, Bryant did not contact law enforcement and agreed to handle the live streaming just minutes before the attack. Even after Van Rootselaar had killed two family members, there was time to intervene before the school shooting. Van Rootselaar could not get the family car started to head to the school. Bryant gave advice about how to get the engine to turn over, allowing the shooter to put the school shooting plan in motion.
Conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country is punishable by up to life in prison.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
