Seattle - A 30-year-old Bellingham, Washington resident, James Cody Bryant, was indicted today by a grand jury sitting in the Western District of Washington for conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country for Bryant's role in a February 10, 2026, school shooting in British Columbia, Canada. Bryant was in frequent communication with Tumbler Ridge school shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar in the six months leading up to the school shooting that killed six people and seriously injured others. Bryant is scheduled for arraignment on October 22, 2026.

The indictment details several overt acts that Bryant took to further the school shooting conspiracy:

• As early as August 2025 Bryant agreed to record the shooting and broadcast it over the internet;
• In August 2025, Bryant tested the quality of the live stream and confirmed it looked "solid;"
• At various times Bryant offered the shooter advice on where to attack and what weapons to carry.
• In January 2026, Bryant again tested the livestream and told Van Rootselaar it worked;
• In late January Bryant sent Van Rootselaar money via pay pal to purchase a lighter for use in an improvised explosive device;
• On the day of the murders Bryant confirmed the livestream was visible, and later that the livestream had gone down.
• On various occasions Bryant made clear the planning of the attack was illegal, discussing ways they should conceal their communications or the source of the livestream.

According to the RCMP, Van Rootselaar was born a male. Van Rootselaar had been transitioning and identified as female on official government identification and on law enforcement reports.

On February 10, 2026, Jesse Van Rootselaar killed two relatives and then drove to the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where Van Rootselaar shot and killed five children ages 12 and 13 and killed an educational assistant. Van Rootselaar used an improvised explosive device to damage the school and tried to get into other classrooms by firing through locked doors. Van Rootselaar exchanged gunfire with police and ultimately committed suicide.

According to records filed in the case, shortly after the shooting, law enforcement learned Van Rootselaar had been in frequent communication with someone via the platform Discord. That person was identified as Bryant. Law enforcement has obtained and reviewed thousands of communications between the two.

Conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country is punishable by up to life in prison.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg with assistance from the Justice Department's National Security Division.