A 30-year-old in Washington state has been arrested in connection with the tragic mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC.
James Cody Bryant, 30, allegedly offered assistance — financial and technical — to Jesse Van Rootselaar before, and while, Rootselaar carried out the attack that left eight people murdered and several others wounded.
US law enforcement announce that an American suspect has been arrested in connection with the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting.
— Sitka Media (@sitkamedia) October 6, 2026
James Cody Bryant, 30, allegedly helped Jesse Van Rootselaar — technically and financially — before and while Rootselaar carried out the attack. pic.twitter.com/UFcWbYaMJO
During a press conference in Seattle on Tuesday, Western Washington Acting US District Attorney Neil Floyd explained that Bryant was in custody and charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
According to Floyd, Bryant — a resident of Bellingham, Washignton — was allegedly "in repeated contact with the shooter, offering advice, sending money, and even agreeing to livestream the horrific event."
He noted that after Rootselaar murdered family members, Bryant allegedly offered to help Rootselaar start the car so Rootselaar could go to the nearby school where the majority of the killing took place.
Floyd added that while Bryant is male, Bryant "identifies as a female."
FBI special agent reacts to messages between a US suspect and the Tumbler Ridge shooter:
— Sitka Media (@sitkamedia) October 6, 2026
"This complaint was particularly difficult to read, in part because of the casual tone these two individuals used when discussing the mass taking of innocent lives that was being planned." pic.twitter.com/OVxnklj9I2
FBI Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Harrington said the pair appeared to have met on Omegle and kept in touch online when that site was shuttered in 2023. They moved to Discord and were allegedly in close contact for at least six months before the February 10 attack.
US officials say the Washington state man charged in connection with the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting first met the shooter on Omegle, a now-defunct online chat platform:
— Sitka Media (@sitkamedia) October 6, 2026
“They kept in contact after that over the intervening years, and then ultimately began discussing what… pic.twitter.com/IS9ILlce5f
"I read a lot of court documents, including some that discuss incredibly heinous acts of violence," he said. "But this complaint was particularly difficult to read, in part because of the casual tone these two individuals used when discussing the mass taking of innocent lives that was being planned."
BC RCMP's Assistant Commissioner Elijah Rain says information from an online platform used by the Tumbler Ridge shooter led investigators to contact US authorities within days of the mass shooting:
— Sitka Media (@sitkamedia) October 6, 2026
“Today’s arrest and charge announcement by the FBI reflects the months of… pic.twitter.com/vkTWMiTodG
Bryant allegedly "continued to enable" Rootselaar throughout that time.
US officials say investigators reviewed thousands of online communications as they built their case following the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting:
— Sitka Media (@sitkamedia) October 6, 2026
“A lot of this was on Discord and [we had] to go through what was ultimately thousands of communications in order to get the evidence… pic.twitter.com/fTFUstzGKn
"A lot of this was on Discord," Floyd added, "and [we had] to go through what was ultimately thousands of communications in order to get the evidence that we needed."
In one message from August 2025, Van Rootselaar considered carrying out an attack elsewhere in BC at a mall or school.
More to come...
