What the U.S. conspiracy charge in the Tumbler Ridge school shooting alleges

Photos from the FBI complaint: a shotgun with a transgender-flag sticker in front of a transgender pride flag, a rifle with its barrel wrapped in trans-flag colors, and the firebomb the FBI says was used inside the school

On October 6, 2026, the FBI arrested James Cody Bryant, 30, of Bellingham, Washington. Federal prosecutors in Seattle charged Bryant with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country in connection with the February 10, 2026 shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The maximum penalty is life in prison.

Everything below comes from a criminal complaint and from statements by officials. These are allegations that have not been tested in court.

The attack

According to the complaint and the RCMP, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed his mother and his 11-year-old brother at home on February 10. He then went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and killed five children aged 12 and 13 and an educational assistant. The Associated Press reports that 25 others were wounded. Van Rootselaar died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The day after the attack, the RCMP said Van Rootselaar “was born as a biological male” who had begun to “transition to female” about six years earlier and “identified as female.” Authorities say Bryant also identifies as female. FBI Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington said both “identified as trans,” and that investigators have no indication this is why they stayed in contact.

What the complaint alleges

The complaint was sworn by an FBI agent and signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian A. Tsuchida on October 2, 2026. It alleges that the conspiracy ran from at least August 2025 to February 10, 2026, and that its goal was to kill people in British Columbia “and then broadcast the killings over the internet.” It lists these overt acts:

Livestream. Bryant agreed to record and rebroadcast a livestream of the attack. He helped test it on August 30, 2025, and January 4, 2026.
Tactical advice. Bryant commented on target layouts (“Wide open spaces means numbers”) and on what weapons to carry.
Money. Bryant sent $124.47 through PayPal on November 21, 2025, which went toward shoes worn in the attack. He sent another $14.33 on January 25, 2026 for a lighter for an explosive device. PayPal reversed the second payment.
Concealment. Bryant suggested deleting their messages and getting a VPN.
Silence. Bryant repeatedly promised not to “snitch.” In one message he wrote: “I know I can like, save lives I guess but idk.”
The day of the attack. Bryant opened the shooter’s Twitch stream (“Watching now”) and helped him start the family car. Twitch told investigators the 20-second stream was viewed by only one account, which was registered under Bryant’s date of birth and email address.

The complaint also includes photos that, according to the FBI, the shooter sent Bryant. They include a shotgun with a sticker in transgender-flag colors, photographed in front of a transgender pride flag, and a rifle whose muzzle device is wrapped in the same colors. The RCMP has not released information about the firearms. It cites its active investigation and a publication ban in Canada.

The complaint also quotes messages in which Bryant urged Van Rootselaar to reconsider and said a school would be a bad target. The two met about three years earlier on the now-closed video-chat site Omegle. In the six months before the attack they spoke daily on Discord.

The charge and the court process

The charge falls under 18 U.S.C. § 956(a). That law makes it a federal crime for someone in the United States to conspire to commit, outside the country, an act that would be murder under U.S. law, if at least one member of the conspiracy commits an act toward that goal inside the United States. Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd called it a “novel” charge for a case like this.

A criminal complaint is the first step in a federal case. Prosecutors must next get an indictment from a grand jury or show probable cause at a preliminary hearing. Bryant appeared in federal court in Seattle on October 6 and is in custody. Prosecutors asked that he be held without bail. A detention hearing is set for Tuesday, October 13, and a preliminary hearing for October 20 at 1 p.m. PT. A federal public defender represents Bryant.

In Canada, the RCMP says its own investigation continues, and it has reviewed more than 90 witness statements. It says further charges in Canada “remain under active consideration.” Canadian Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said it is too soon to say whether Bryant could face charges in Canada.

How investigators found the connection

Within hours of the shooting, Discord identified accounts linked to the shooter and private messages with a second user. It gave that information to the RCMP. The RCMP contacted U.S. Homeland Security, and the FBI opened an investigation. Homeland Security agents interviewed Bryant on February 12. FBI agents interviewed him on March 3. Bryant declined to let Discord share the messages, so a federal judge issued a search warrant on March 13, and Discord produced the records on March 26.

What it means for online safety and child protection

Private messages. Discord says all the communication was in private one-on-one messages, not public servers or group chats, and that it got no user reports about it. The planning happened where moderators and other users could not see it.
Livestreaming. The complaint describes livestreaming as central to the plan. Van Rootselaar wrote that “people can be detached from the gravity” of an attack that is not broadcast. Twitch says it is cooperating with police.
Warning signs. The complaint describes repeated talk of violence, requests for secrecy, and an adult who knew about the plan for months and did not tell anyone. Parents, educators, and young people should know that a threat disclosed online can be reported to local police. In the United States, the FBI also takes tips at tips.fbi.gov.
Other litigation. Separately, AP and CBC report that victims’ families and the B.C. government are suing OpenAI. They allege the company should have alerted police to the shooter’s conversations with ChatGPT.

Our thoughts are with the families and the community of Tumbler Ridge.

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