A 30-year-old Bellingham man was arrested Tuesday, October 6, 2026, and charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country, accused of spending roughly six months advising, funding and preparing to broadcast a school shooting that left a small British Columbia town in mourning. James Cody Bryant is accused of communicating with shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar before the February 10 attack at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, a rampage that killed nine people, including the gunman, and left dozens more injured.
What Prosecutors Say Bryant Did
According to CBC News, Bryant allegedly offered advice, money and what prosecutors called technical assistance to Van Rootselaar for six months leading up to the killings. The outlet reports the indictment alleges Bryant was knowingly and willfully conspiring with Van Rootselaar from Washington state beginning in or before August 2025. Investigators say Bryant allegedly provided money for the shooting and a lighter.
Per the same CBC report, Bryant agreed to assist Van Rootselaar and agreed to record and broadcast a livestream of the shootings. That livestream, the station notes, ultimately lasted 20 seconds. The seed report from Local Memphis adds that Bryant allegedly tested the livestream quality in August 2025, discussed target locations with Van Rootselaar, and admitted to being in contact with him on Discord — though he reportedly declined to allow Discord to turn their messages over to the FBI.
Federal Investigators Moved Quickly After the Attack
U.S. Homeland Security investigators interviewed Bryant two days after the shooting at his home in Bellingham, the station's report states, and the FBI followed up with another interview in early March. Local Memphis reports that the FBI ultimately received communications between Bryant and Van Rootselaar on March 13. Van Rootselaar himself was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted wound, according to the same report.
The Attack at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School
The shooting unfolded on February 10 at approximately 1:20 p.m. Pacific time at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in the small northern B.C. town, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The RCMP said the suspect acted alone and that there were no other outstanding suspects. Local Memphis reports the rampage killed seven people at the school and two more at a nearby home, while the RCMP separately stated that nine people, including the shooter, were deceased — figures that differ slightly from other published tallies describing eight victims killed. The RCMP also reported approximately 25 individuals with possible injuries, including two who were airlifted to a hospital; both later remained in serious condition, though other reporting has put the injured count at 27.
Tumbler Ridge is a town of about 2,700 people, and the shooting is described by Local Memphis as Canada's deadliest mass shooting since 2020. Resident Darryl Krakowka described the community as a big family and said simply, “I broke down,” capturing the grief that settled over the town in the attack's aftermath. Neil Floyd called it a horrific tragedy for that small community and for all of Canada, according to the same report.
A Rare but Devastating Pattern
Mass shootings remain rare in Canada, and the Tumbler Ridge attack has drawn comparisons to the country's worst such incidents, according to the Vancouver Sun. The 2020 Nova Scotia shooting remains the deadliest rampage in Canadian history, killing 22 people and injuring three, the paper notes. The 1989 École Polytechnique massacre, in which a gunman killed 14 women before killing himself, and the 1996 Vernon killings, which left nine dead, are among the other mass shootings the Vancouver Sun lists as among the nation's deadliest.
Bryant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, KOMO News reports. Bryant faces allegations, and the case against him is in its early stages following his arrest.
