Washington Man Charged With Conspiracy in Fatal British Columbia School Shooting

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that a Washington state man, James Cody Bryant, 30, has been arrested and charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country in connection with a February mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada.

The shooting, carried out by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a former student at the school, killed eight people: Van Rootselaar’s mother and young stepbrother at his home, five children and an educational assistant at the school. Van Rootselaar died amid a shootout with police. Van Rootselaar had reportedly identified as female and used she/her pronouns on social media, and was wearing a dress during the attack.

According to the criminal complaint, Bryant also identifies as female. Court documents indicate Bryant and Van Rootselaar began communicating over the platform Discord no later than August 2025 about Van Rootselaar’s plan to carry out a shooting in Canada.

What prosecutors allege

The complaint describes a series of exchanges between the two over several months. Prosecutors allege Bryant agreed to record and broadcast a livestream of the killings, and on multiple occasions helped Van Rootselaar test the streaming equipment beforehand to make sure the video would be viewable.

Bryant is also accused of providing tactical advice on how to increase casualties and which firearms to use, and of sending money to Van Rootselaar to buy items connected to the attack, including a lighter later used to build an explosive device detonated during the shooting. Moments before the attack began, Bryant allegedly confirmed receipt of the livestream. At various points, Bryant advised Van Rootselaar on deleting messages and using a VPN to conceal the streaming activity.

The complaint states that Bryant repeatedly assured Van Rootselaar that Bryant would not alert law enforcement and would handle the livestream. Between August and February, Bryant at times tried to talk Van Rootselaar out of the attack, but ultimately did not contact authorities and agreed to manage the broadcast minutes before it began.

Investigators say there was an opportunity to intervene even after the attack had started. After killing two family members at home, Van Rootselaar struggled to start the family car needed to reach the school. Prosecutors allege Bryant gave advice on how to get the engine running, which allowed Van Rootselaar to proceed to the school and kill additional victims.

If convicted, Bryant faces a potential sentence of life in prison.