Bellingham resident charged over alleged role in Tumbler Ridge shooting

• James Cody Bryant, 30, was arrested in Washington state on a federal complaint alleging conspiracy to murder people in Canada.
• The complaint alleges Bryant advised Jesse Van Rootselaar, helped prepare a livestream and sent money for items used in the attack.
• It also alleges Bryant helped Van Rootselaar start a car after two people had been killed at home, before she drove to the school.
• A judge found probable cause; Bryant has not been found guilty. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 20 October.

Federal authorities arrested James Cody Bryant in Bellingham, Washington, on 6 October, accusing the resident of conspiring with Jesse Van Rootselaar before the 10 February shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The US charge is conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country. Prosecutors say the alleged assistance included advice, money and help preparing a livestream of the killings.¹

The criminal complaint, filed on 2 October, says the pair communicated on Discord about a planned attack for months. It alleges Bryant helped test the livestream, gave tactical advice, and sent Van Rootselaar $14.33 to buy a lighter for an explosive device. The complaint also says Bryant opened the livestream shortly before the attack and confirmed it was playing.²

One of the complaint’s most consequential allegations concerns what happened after Van Rootselaar killed two family members at home. It says she told Bryant she could not start the car to drive to the school. Bryant suggested how to start it; the complaint says the car started and Van Rootselaar drove to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where six more people were killed.²

The allegations also describe a more complicated record: prosecutors say Bryant sometimes urged Van Rootselaar to reconsider the attack. But they allege Bryant did not alert police and ultimately agreed to receive and share the livestream. Those claims are drawn from an FBI affidavit submitted to support the complaint; the messages and account records described there have not been tested at trial.²

The attack killed eight victims: two at a nearby home and six at the school. Van Rootselaar also died at the school.³ The FBI, US Attorney’s Office and Royal Canadian Mounted Police worked together on the investigation, according to the US Justice Department.¹

A magistrate judge found probable cause on 2 October. That finding permits the case to proceed; it is not a verdict. Bryant appeared in federal court on 6 October and was detained pending a preliminary hearing set for 20 October, the Associated Press reported. The federal public defender’s office did not immediately respond to AP’s request for comment.²⁴

Canadian Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said it was too early to know whether Bryant might face charges in Canada. He said a Canadian prosecution could be possible if investigators determine that Canadian laws were broken.⁴

Footnotes

1. US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, 6 October 2026 ↩ ↩²

2. United States v. James Cody Bryant, criminal complaint and affidavit, filed 2 October 2026 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Royal Canadian Mounted Police, victim confirmation, 12 February 2026 ↩

4. Associated Press, 6 October 2026 ↩ ↩²