RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald identified Jesse Van Rootselaar as the suspected shooter in the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia earlier this year. But the identity of the assailant would never be established in a British Columbia court because of her suicide in the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. That may now change with the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Washington identifying an alleged conspirator.

1. Introduction

On February 10, 2026, Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and stepbrother at their home in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Ms. Van Rootselaar then headed to the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where she killed six people and injured 27 others before taking her own life. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Canada since the attacks in Nova Scotia in 2020 and the deadliest school shooting since the incident at École Polytechnique de Montreal in Montreal, Quebec in 1989. On October 6, 2026, James Cody Bryant of Bellingham, Washington was arrested on a criminal complaint charging him with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country for his role in the Tumbler Ridge shootings.

2. Background

On October 2, 2026, Special Agent Joseph Rico of the F.B.I. Field Division in Seattle, Washington swore the criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, at Seattle. (here) On October 6, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced the arrest. (here and here) The complaint asserts that James Cody Bryant conspired with Ms. Rootselaar to commit “an act that would constitute the offense of murder if committed in the […] territorial jurisdiction of the United States” under Title 18 of the U.S. Code, § 956(a)(1) and (a)(2)(A). (here)

The complaint summarizes the events on February 10, 2026, beginning at 2:00 p.m. when Ms. Van Rootselaar killed her mother and stepbrother at their residence. She then drove to the school where she killed a staff member and five children aged 12 and 13. She then lit an explosive device and threw it near the school’s computer room and library. The device exploded leaving visible blast marks at the scene. Ms. Van Rootselaar attempted to gain access to other parts of the school when local police entered. She shot at the officers and retreated into an empty room where she shot and killed herself.

Shortly after the shooting, an online social communication platform, Discord, voluntarily provided information to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s federal police agency. The RCMP shared the information with the FBI. According to Discord, one of Ms. Van Rootselaar’s accounts had been communicating about the shooting with another Discord user that included “discussions about weapons, theft of ammunition, incendiary device construction, target evaluation, logistics relating to livestreaming the attack, and final day-of coordination.” Discord records allegedly identified the other Discord user as Mr. Bryant.

On February 12, 2026, two days after the shooting, Special Agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security interviewed Mr. Bryant at his residence in Bellingham, Washington. Mr. Bryant allegedly admitted to being the Discord user in communication with Ms. Van Rootselaar. He also allegedly confirmed that he had been communicating with her during the months prior to the shooting and viewed her attempted livestream of the attack.

3. The Criminal Complaint

On March 13, 2026, a search warrant was issued by a United States Magistrate Judge for Mr. Bryant’s Discord account (“meldritch_”). The records contained communications between Mr. Bryant’s account and Ms. Van Rootselaar’s account (“brave_kitten_01595”) during the six months prior to the shooting. I will give you the following summary of the overt acts Mr. Bryant allegedly committed in furtherance of the conspiracy. The overt acts are taken from the complaint. Ms. Van Rootselaar is identified by the initials “J.V.R.”.

• In or about August 2025, at J.V.R.’s request, Bryant agreed to record J.V.R.’s livestream of the planned murders and post it over the internet for the public to view.
• On or about August 30, 2025, Bryant assisted J.V.R. in testing the quality of the livestream that J.V.R. intended to make of the planned murders. Bryant assured J.V.R. that it “looks solid.”
• On various occasions, Bryant gave J.V.R. tactical advice as to how to carry out the murders. For example, on or about August 8, 2025, while discussing possible target locations for the murders, Bryant told J.V.R.: “hallways also mean a lot of ways people can escape. Corners to turn. Wide open spaces means numbers.” On or about August 26, 2025, Bryant advised that J.V.R. “should have a handgun…this is smart.” J.V.R. agreed that J.V.R. could “cause a lot of damage this way,” and Bryant stated: “[Yeah]. you’ve got solid plans.”
• On or about January 4, 2026, Bryant assisted J.V. R. in conducting a test-run of the livestream that J.V.R. intended to make of the planned murders. Bryant viewed the livestream and confirmed for J.V.R.: “It works. I saw your lighter.”
• On or about January 25, 2026, Bryant sent $14.33 via PayPal to J.V.R. intending for J.V.R. to use the funds to purchase a lighter that would be affixed to an explosive device that J.V.R. planned to detonate during the murders.
• On or about February 10, 2026, moments before J.V.R. began carrying out the murders, Bryant accessed J.V.R.’s livestream for the purpose of recording and broadcasting it. J.V.R. told Bryant, “I’m going now. Fr [for real]. Live. I shot them. Fuck.” Bryant confirmed that Bryant was “watching now” and shortly thereafter told J.V.R. that the stream went down.
• On various occasions, Bryant discussed with J.V.R. the need to conceal the murder conspiracy. For example, on or about August 11, 2025, Bryant stated: “I think we should find a way to delete all our messages.” On or about December 12, 2025, Bryant mentioned “need[ing] to get a VPN” to avoid “get[ting] in trouble [for] posting a shooting video online.”

During several conversations, Mr. Bryant expressed disapproval of the plot, in particular as it related to targeting a school. Mr. Bryant also occasionally encouraged Ms. Van Rootselaar to consider delaying or not committing the attack. On January 4, 2026, she told him that she planned to launch the attack imminently. Mr. Bryant tried to convince her to reconsider. However, by the end of the conversation, Mr. Bryant allegedly helped her conduct a test of the livestream equipment in preparation for the attack. On February 4, 2026, Mr. Bryant told her she did not need to follow through with the plan and should “think it over properly”.

On February 10, 2026, Ms. Van Rootselaar told Mr. Bryant she was dressed for the attack. She sent him photos and videos of herself with a rifle and a satchel containing the explosive device and magazines, wearing boots he bought for her and a cell phone holster attached to a “chest rig” for the livestream camera. At that point, Mr. Bryant confirmed he was prepared to receive the livestream. A few moments later, she said she went livestream and had just killed her family members. He allegedly confirmed the livestream was coming through but then said it went “down”. During that exchange, she was in her family’s car preparing to drive to the school.

4. Conclusion

On October 14, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office issued a press release stating that a federal grand jury in Seattle had indicted Mr. Bryant for “conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country” for his role in the Tumbler Ridge shootings. (here and here) Reporting for King 5 News, journalist Tess Wagner said Mr. Bryant is scheduled to be arraigned on October 22, 2026. (here)