A 30-year-old American man has been arrested over his alleged role in a deadly school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, earlier this year.
James Cody Bryant, of Bellingham, Washington, was charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country. Prosecutors accuse him of providing tactical guidance, financial support and technical help before agreeing to assist the gunman in livestreaming the attack.
The arrest adds a new dimension to an investigation launched after eight people were killed by 18-year-old transgender shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar during the February 10 attack in the small British Columbia community.
According to prosecutors, Bryant and Van Rootselaar began conspiring on Discord in August 2025, about six months before the massacre. Investigators say their online conversations evolved into plans to kill multiple people in Canada.
The criminal complaint alleges Bryant helped test equipment for a proposed livestream, agreed to film and broadcast the assault, offered tactical advice and sent Van Rootselaar money for items linked to the plot.
He also allegedly advised her on concealing the scheme, including deleting messages and using virtual private networks to obscure their communications.
Most significantly, prosecutors claim Bryant confirmed that he was receiving the livestream shortly before the attack began.
The complaint further alleges that Bryant discussed ways to increase the number of victims and recommended firearms. Prosecutors say he also sent money for a lighter that Van Rootselaar intended to use in making an explosive device.
James ‘Cody’ Bryant, 30, of Bellingham, Washington, was arrested Tuesday after federal prosecutors accused him of extensive communications with Jesse Van Rootselaar in the months before the February 10 attack, which killed eight people and wounded 25 others
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire at the library of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on February 10, killing one teacher and five students
The US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington said Bryant and Van Rootselaar began communicating on Discord by August 2025 about a plan to kill multiple people in Canada
However, the complaint portrays their relationship as more complicated than a straightforward partnership.
Federal investigators say the pair first met three years ago on the chat platform Omegle. They lost contact twice while Van Rootselaar was receiving treatment at a mental health facility.
The two allegedly exchanged messages daily on Discord during the six months before the shooting. Their discussions reportedly included the possibility of sending 3D-printed weapons across the US-Canada border.
Text messages cited by authorities appear to show that Bryant initially proposed targeting a shopping center rather than a school.
Authorities also allege that Bryant occasionally tried to convince Van Rootselaar to abandon the planned attack.
Despite those efforts, prosecutors say he never alerted police and eventually agreed to help with the livestream, telling Van Rootselaar that he would not “snitch.”
Van Rootselaar’s rampage began at a residence, where her mother and 11-year-old stepbrother were killed.
She then drove to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and opened fire, killing five children—each aged 12 or 13—and Shannda Aviugana-Durand, a 39-year-old educational assistant.
The five students were identified as Abel Mwansa, Ezekiel Schofield, Kylie Smith, Zoey Benoit and Ticaria Lampert.
The other two victims, 39-year-old Jennifer Jacobs and her 11-year-old son, Emmett Jacobs, were killed at the residence.
The eight victims were the people killed in the heinous attack. Van Rootselaar also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, bringing the total number of deaths to nine.
Police say Van Rootselaar used an improvised explosive device at the school, fired through locked classroom doors and exchanged gunfire with officers before her death.
Prosecutors allege Bryant allegedly provided tactical advice, recommended firearms, supplied money for items connected to the planned attack and helped Van Rootselaar test equipment for a livestream that was intended to broadcast the massacre
He also allegedly advised her on concealing the plot, including deleting messages and using virtual private networks to hide online activity as well as advising her on constructing a makeshift explosive device
On February 10, Van Rootselaar first killed her mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at a family residence in Tumbler Ridge, a remote community in northeastern British Columbia. She then drove toward Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Police say she opened fire at the school, killing five children and an educational assistant.
Bryant’s case is unusual because the alleged conspiracy involved a planned crime in another country. He faces a federal charge of conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country, an offense that carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)’s investigation has continued for months, with investigators examining physical evidence, electronic devices and online accounts.
By July, Mounties said they had reviewed more than 100 statements from students, educators and first responders and were working with the FBI on digital forensic analysis. They also said the possibility of further charges had not been ruled out.
Previously released court documents have provided further insight into the investigation. An RCMP investigator described Van Rootselaar as having ‘mental health problems’ and being ‘fascinated by firearms,’ while investigators traced her online activity and seized electronic devices.
The digital evidence has become increasingly significant. Investigators have examined social-media accounts and other online communications as they attempted to understand how the attack was planned and whether anyone else knew about it.
Tuesday’s case now alleges that Bryant was one such person – and that the relationship went substantially further than simply knowing an attack was being contemplated.
Prosecutors say Bryant was communicating with Van Rootselaar as she prepared for the killings and even helped her overcome a practical problem immediately before she travelled to the school.
According to the complaint, after killing her relatives, Van Rootselaar was unable to start a family vehicle. Bryant allegedly advised her on getting it running so she could continue to the school.
The case is now being investigated on both sides of the border.
The FBI worked with Homeland Security Investigations and the RCMP, with American prosecutors bringing the conspiracy charge because the alleged planning occurred partly in Washington while the intended killings were in Canada. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison.
Bryant’s arrest comes as Tumbler Ridge continues to deal with the aftermath of the massacre. The original secondary school has not returned to normal operation, and the community has faced an ongoing need for mental-health and victim-support services.
Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Seattle, said no investigation can bring the eight people killed to their families but he stated both US and Canadian officials are committed to bringing justice and holding the perpetrators accountable.
He praised the RCMP for their assistance throughout the investigation that has led to the charges announced today.
The investigation has also generated separate legal battles over what authorities and technology companies knew before the shooting, including litigation involving OpenAI over allegations concerning Van Rootselaar’s use of ChatGPT.
The company said it didn’t alert authorities at the time because the chats did not meet the threshold of what it deems a credible or imminent plan for serious harm to others.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, however, previously apologized to the victims’ families.
‘I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement,’ Altman wrote in an open letter in April.
For investigators, however, the immediate question is now whether the alleged online relationship between Bryant and Van Rootselaar amounted to a criminal conspiracy.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Bryant’s mother for comment.