On February 10, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed two family members, five other children, and a school staff member in the remote community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, before turning the gun on herself.
U.S. authorities allege the shooter had help and encouragement from James Cody Bryant, 30, of Bellingham, who was arrested Tuesday and is facing a charge of conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country.
The Tumbler Ridge shooting was one of the deadliest in Canadian history. Dozens were injured and two severely wounded in the school where Van Rootselaar was a former student. In the school, she shot a 39-year-old female teacher as well as three 12-year-old female students and two male students, one aged 12 and one aged 13. Van Rootselaar then died by suicide. Police recovered a long gun and a modified handgun, according to Reuters. Canadian officials said police had been to Van Rootselaar’s home on multiple occasions for calls related to her mental health concerns.
W. Mike Herrington is special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office. He said Bryant and Van Rootselaar discussed every detail of the attack, and Bryant sent money via Paypal so Van Rootselaar could buy her preferred shoes to wear the day of the shooting and a lighter to ignite an explosive device.
“In addition to providing money, technical advice, and particular items to be used in the shooting, Bryant agreed to record a livestream feed of the attack and broadcast it in a way that would maximize notoriety for the shooter,” Herrington said.
He added other messages suggest Bryant even advised Van Rootselaar when she had trouble starting her car to get to the school, after shooting her mother and stepbrother.
“Even after the shooter had already tragically killed two family members, Bryant assisted the shooter in successfully traveling to a second location to take even more lives," Herrington said.
Bryant will be charged with conspiring to murder persons in a foreign country, which could be punishable by life in prison. Officials said the two communicated on the online platform Discord, which contacted law enforcement after the shooting.