U.S. resident arrested in connection with February school shooting in Canada

National admin October 7, 2026 0 Comments

U.S. resident arrested in connection with February school shooting in Canada

A U.S. resident has been charged in federal court in connection to a February school shooting in British Columbia, Canada.

James Cody Bryant, 30, of Bellingham, Washington, was arrested Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country. According to the indictment, Bryant was in frequent online communication with Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old who killed her mother and stepbrother at home before fatally shooting six people, including a staff member and five children, at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Feb. 10.

Van Rootselaar was found dead at the scene with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Court records show Bryant, whom officials said is a transgender woman, and Van Rootselaar communicated over Discord in the six months leading up to the shooting. Bryant agreed to record Van Rootselaar’s planned livestream of the shooting and post it online, and gave Van Rootselaar tactical advice on how to carry out the murders. She also sent Van Rootselaar money to purchase shoes and a lighter to affix to an explosive device that Van Rootselaar planned to detonate during the attack.

Shortly after the shooting, Discord provided information about the chat to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which shared it with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They identified the participants as Bryant and Van Rootselaar.

Bryant admitted to being one of the users when interviewed by Homeland Security Investigations special agents two days after the shooting. She also identified herself as the single viewer of Van Rootselaar’s livestream on Twitch on the day of the shooting, which lasted for 20 seconds before it was taken down.

On March 3, Bryant told the FBI that she met Van Rootselaar online about three years ago, according to court records. She said they had sporadic contact for the first few years, as Van Rootselaar was “institutionalized” multiple times. She said that after the second institutionalization, Van Rootselaar became “significantly worse.” She said Van Rootselaar was increasingly angry and suicidal, and spoke about planning to shoot her family members.

In the six months leading up to the shooting, Bryant said the two of them spoke daily. She said Van Rootselaar told her in August 2025 that she had stolen guns and ammunition from her family in preparation for a mass shooting, and also convinced someone else to buy ammunition for her.

Van Rootselaar was “fixated” on mass shootings, Bryant told the FBI, and watched livestreamed recordings of past shootings to “learn from them.” Bryant said she agreed to record the livestream of Van Rootselaar’s planned shooting to “placate” her.

Bryant also admitted to the FBI that she helped Van Rootselaar test the livestream equipment and select a location for the shooting. She said she told Van Rootselaar that it was a bad idea to attack a school because there would be “too many young victims,” and instead suggested a grocery store or a church.

Snippets of Discord messages between Bryant and Van Rootselaar obtained via a subpoena show the two discussing the timing of the shooting, whether Van Rootselaar would have “fans” after killing people, how to delete the messages between them and reassurances that Bryant wouldn’t “snitch.” Bryant even allegedly helped Van Rootselaar get her family’s car running on the day of the shooting.

“The one thing that remains clear is that Bryant was consistent in ultimately coming back and providing support and actually expressing a willingness to provide more,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd at a press conference Tuesday in Seattle.

Floyd said there was no information at this time that indicates Bryant and Van Rootselaar were part of any particular group or political ideology.

When asked, Floyd attributed the length of time between the interviewing of Bryant and her arrest in part to the amount of communications and other evidence that investigators had to go through. He also called the application of the legal statute in this case “a novel charge.”

“We wanted to make sure that we got it right,” Floyd said.

He added that additional charges may be filed both in the U.S. and Canada.

“To the families of the victims, the survivors, and the community of Tumblr Ridge, our commitment to seeking answers has not wavered,” said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Elija Rain at the press conference. “We recognize that the passage of time has not diminished the impact of this tragedy, and we remain committed to supporting you throughout this process.”

If convicted, Bryant faces up to life in prison.

This story was originally published October 6, 2026 at 7:23 PM with the headline “U.S. resident arrested in connection with February school shooting in Canada.”