Belligham resident arrested in connection to February B.C. school shooting

A Bellingham resident was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country in connection with the Feb. 10 attack on Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia.

James Cody Bryant, 30, is accused of giving advice and money to the suspect of the shooting, 18-year-old Canadian citizen Jesse Van Rootselaar. If convicted, he could face a sentence of life in prison.

On Feb. 10, Van Rootselaar shot and killed two family members at home before driving to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she then shot and killed six people, including five students. She used a homemade explosive device and attempted to gain access to several classrooms by shooting through the doors. When police arrived on scene, gunfire was exchanged with the suspect before Van Rootselaar committed suicide. 

Authorities discovered that Van Rootselaar and Bryant had been in regular online communication for months prior to the attack via Discord. Allegedly, the pair began discussing Van Rootselaar’s plan to commit a mass shooting around August of 2025. 

In the criminal complaint, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington alleges that Bryant:

• Agreed to watch and record Van Rootselaar’s livestream of the attacks, to later be posted online, including assistance with testing. 
• Provided technical assistance or logistical advice for committing the murders and starting the car that Van Rootselaar drove to Tumbler Ridge to carry out the attacks. 
• Provided money to Van Rootselaar, including for the lighter used in the homemade explosive device, shoes that Van Rootselaar wore during the attack and stickers that Van Rootselaar put on the gun used in the attack. 
• Stated multiple times the “need to conceal the murder conspiracy” by suggesting deleting messages or using a VPN. 

According to authorities, Bryant stated on numerous occasions that he would not report Van Rootselaar to law enforcement, despite knowing when the murders would happen because he had agreed to share the livestream. 

The complaint included transcripts of conversations between the two, including instances where Bryant tried to convince her not to follow through on her plans and where he objected to targeting a school.