A 30-year-old Washington state man has been arrested and charged in connection with the mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia earlier this year.
James Cody Bryant, of Bellingham, Wash., is accused of helping 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar plan the Feb. 10 attack and prepare to livestream it.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Bryant has been charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country.
U.S. and Canadian officials provided more details Tuesday. According to an FBI criminal complaint, Bryant met Van Rootselaar on a random chat website before the two continued communicating on Discord.
Authorities allege Bryant provided money and planning help in the months before the shooting.
Plans for the attack
The criminal complaint includes messages between the two. In some conversations, Van Rootselaar talked about carrying out a mass shooting and becoming known for it.
Authorities say Bryant also helped test a livestream and suggested ways to keep the stream running during the attack.
On the day of the shooting, Van Rootselaar sent Bryant a livestream link. The stream lasted about 20 seconds before it stopped.
Van Rootselaar had already killed her mother and half brother before driving to the school, according to the complaint.
At Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, she killed five students and an educational assistant before dying by suicide.
Bryant arrested
Bryant was arrested Tuesday in Bellingham and appeared in a U.S. court in Seattle.
A detention hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 13, and Bryant will remain in custody until then.
The FBI complaint does not use gendered pronouns for Bryant. U.S. officials said they believe Bryant is transgender, as was Van Rootselaar.
Officials said there is no evidence that the two shared a political ideology or belonged to an organized group.
Investigation continues
The B.C. RCMP said its investigation remains active and that officers are looking into other people who may have had contact with Van Rootselaar.
“We’re assessing other contacts, other social media information,” acting commanding officer Asst. Comm. Elija Rain said Tuesday.
He did not say whether more arrests are expected.
AI and other platforms
Van Rootselaar’s use of ChatGPT before the shooting has also come under investigation. Survivors, victims’ families and the B.C. government have sued OpenAI over its handling of the conversations.
The B.C. government has said it will continue pursuing its lawsuit.
Political leaders in B.C. also renewed calls for a public inquiry into the shooting.
B.C. NDP candidate Niki Sharma said her party remains committed to an inquiry if it forms government after the Oct. 24 election.
Interim B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson also said his party would support a full public inquiry if elected.
