Officials in Washington state arrested a 30-year-old Seattle resident Oct. 6 in connection with a school shooting in Canada earlier this year that left six people dead and several others hurt.
James Cody Bryant faces charges of conspiracy to kill people in a foreign country for their alleged role in a Feb. 10 school shooting in British Columbia, the Department of Justice said.
The shooting took place at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School about 1:20 p.m. local time, Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said during a press conference a day after the incident.
According to a news release, Bryant was in "frequent communication" with alleged school shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar in the six months leading up to the shooting.
The criminal complaint details several different ways Bryant allegedly encouraged and aided Van Rootselaar’s plan including agreeing to broadcast the attack.
“The Tumbler Ridge Secondary School shooting was a horrific tragedy for that small community and for all of Canada. Indeed, here in the Pacific Northwest we felt the pain of those families devastated by this violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “It is even more profoundly disturbing to learn that a resident of Western Washington had a role in the attack and took steps – providing counsel, technical advice, and money to the shooter planning such a tragedy.”
Officials said Van Rootselaar killed two people at her home and then drove to the school where she fatally shot five children, ages 12 and 13, and an educational assistant.
During the melee, Van Rootselaar used an improvised explosive device to damage the school and tried to get into other classrooms by firing through locked doors, the release continues. Van Rootsellar later exchanged gunfire with police and ultimately committed suicide, officials said.
Shortly after the shooting, law enforcement learned that Van Rootselaar had been communicating with Bryant through the chat platform Discord since at least August 2025 about a plan to kill multiple people.
During the conversations, the release said, Bryant allegedly agreed to assist Van Rootselaar in a variety of ways including Bryant allegedly:
- Agreeing to record and broadcast Van Rootselaar’s live stream of the murders;
- Helping Van Rootselaar in testing the livestreaming equipment to ensure it was functioning and would provide a viewable image of the planned killings;
- Providing tactical advice on how to increase the carnage and what firearms to use;
- Sending money to Van Rootselaar to purchase various items the shooter wanted in connection with the school attack.
- Telling Van Rootselaar she would not turn her in to law enforcement and would be there to handle the live streaming.
If convicted, Bryant faces up to life in prison.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seattle resident charged in Canada school shooting that killed 6
