US arrest announced in connection with Canada’s Tumbler Ridge school shooting

US Man Arrested in Alleged Connection to Tumbler Ridge School Shooting

Activelifezero.com – A 30-year-old Washington state resident has been taken into custody in the United States over alleged ties to the February attack at a secondary school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, a mass shooting that killed eight people and injured dozens more.

The US Justice Department identified the suspect as James Cody Bryant of Bellingham, Washington. He was arrested Tuesday morning and faces a charge of conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country. Bryant was expected to make an initial court appearance in Seattle later that day.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether Bryant has retained legal counsel.

Alleged online contact with the shooter

Investigators say Bryant had ongoing online contact with Jesse Van Rootselaar, the 18-year-old attacker who died during the shooting. The February violence in the small northeastern British Columbia community was Canada’s deadliest school shooting in decades. Six children were among the eight people killed.

Neil Floyd, acting US attorney for the Western District of Washington, said Bryant allegedly offered assistance during discussions about the planned attack. Prosecutors say that help included advice, money and an agreement to livestream the event through Twitch.

“In repeated contact with” the shooter, Bryant was “offering advice, sending money and even agreeing to live stream the horrific event.”

Floyd said the financial support totaled slightly more than $100. The funds were allegedly intended mainly for a lighter and shoes Van Rootselaar wanted to possess at the time of the attack.

A criminal complaint filed Friday states that the two also discussed the possibility of sending weapons to Van Rootselaar. Bryant allegedly declined to do that, expressing discomfort with providing weapons directly.

Investigators cite chat records

The case centers in part on messages exchanged through Discord, excerpts of which were included in an affidavit supporting the complaint. Authorities say Bryant and Van Rootselaar met through Omegle, a video-chatting website, about three years before the shooting and developed an online friendship.

FBI agent Mike Harrington described the material as especially disturbing because of what investigators say was the conversational tone used while the pair discussed potential violence.

“I read a lot of court documents, including some that discuss incredibly heinous acts of violence, but this complaint was particularly difficult to read,” Harrington said. “In part because of the casual tone these two individuals used when discussing the mass taking of innocent lives that was being planned.”

One alleged exchange involved Van Rootselaar saying she wanted to avoid targeting a school while also calling one an ideal location for several reasons. The affidavit says Bryant replied that a hotel attack seemed like a good option.

Prosecutors also allege that, after Van Rootselaar killed two family members, Bryant provided advice about trying to repair a car that would not start on the way to the school.

Claims of assistance and planned broadcast

US officials say Bryant did not report the alleged plans to police and instead continued communicating with the shooter for months. Harrington said investigators believe Bryant supplied money, technical guidance and advice involving items connected to the attack.

“As further alleged, instead of de-escalating or reporting to law enforcement, Bryant continued to enable the shooter over the months they discussed these plans,” Harrington said.

He added that Bryant allegedly agreed to capture a livestream of the attack and distribute it in a manner intended to give Van Rootselaar greater notoriety. If proven, the allegations would mark the first known claim that another person helped plan the Tumbler Ridge massacre.

Canadian and American authorities have described Bryant and Van Rootselaar as trans women, though speakers at the Seattle news conference used differing pronouns while discussing the case.

Cross-border investigation

Assistant Commissioner Elija Rain of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said investigators in Canada contacted the US Department of Homeland Security shortly after the shooting. That outreach followed information received through one of the online platforms used by Van Rootselaar.

The arrest highlights the cross-border nature of investigations involving online communications. In this case, the shooting took place in Canada while the person accused of providing support was in the United States. Federal prosecutors brought the foreign-murder conspiracy charge as investigators examined the alleged relationship between the two people.

The Tumbler Ridge attack had already prompted scrutiny of the role technology platforms can play when users express violent intentions or seek help planning harm. Seven victim families filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April after information emerged that Van Rootselaar had used ChatGPT during preparations for the attack.

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman apologized to the community in the week before that lawsuit was filed, saying the company had not alerted law enforcement after Van Rootselaar’s account was banned.

The allegations against Bryant have not been tested in court. Prosecutors will need to establish the claimed conspiracy and Bryant’s intent as the criminal case moves forward. The investigation remains active, with authorities continuing to examine digital records, communications and the events leading up to the February shooting.