October 06, 2026
U.S. arrests Washington man accused of helping Canada's Tumbler Ridge school shooter
Headline card by The Night Desk
U.S. arrests Washington man accused of helping Canada's Tumbler Ridge school shooter
BELLINGHAM, Washington — Federal authorities arrested a 30-year-old Washington state resident on Tuesday, accusing him of helping plan one of Canada's deadliest school shootings and agreeing to livestream it to maximize its notoriety.
James Cody Bryant of Bellingham was arrested Tuesday morning and is charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The charge carries up to life in prison. Bryant was expected to make an initial court appearance in Seattle on Tuesday afternoon.
The connection to Tumbler Ridge
Authorities say Bryant was in repeated contact with Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, the shooter behind the February 10, 2026 attack at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in the small Canadian Rockies town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Van Rootselaar killed her mother and stepbrother at home, then drove to the school — where she shot and killed a teacher and five young students before dying by suicide. Dozens more were wounded. It was one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history.
The two met about three years before the attack on the video-chat site Omegle, officials said, and stayed in contact online. In the roughly six months before the shooting, Bryant allegedly offered technical advice, sent money — a little over $100, mostly for a lighter and a pair of shoes Van Rootselaar wanted to wear during the attack — and agreed to broadcast the attack on Twitch in a way that would "maximize notoriety for the shooter," according to Mike Herrington, the FBI's special agent in charge in Seattle. The livestream was shut down after about 20 seconds.
"He could have stopped it"
The accusations go further than advice. Prosecutors allege Bryant even helped the shooter get a car started after the home killings so she could reach the school and kill more people.
"So even after the shooter had already tragically killed two family members, Bryant assisted the shooter in successfully traveling to the second location to take even more lives," Herrington said at a Seattle news conference. In the criminal complaint, Bryant reportedly admitted he may have been the only one who could have stopped the shooter.
"James Cody Bryant had the information and ability to alert law enforcement and even discussed that possibility with the shooter, but he chose not to, and he encouraged and offered assistance to a murderer," Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Neil Floyd told reporters.
Court records did not immediately list an attorney for Bryant. Authorities said more charges may be possible.
Reporting via Reuters and CNN. This is a developing story — details will be updated as court filings and officials release more information.
Source: Reuters — read the original report
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