US citizen charged over funding, advising Tumbler Ridge shooter, likely to be sentenced to life imprisonment
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "US citizen charged over funding, advising Tumbler Ridge shooter, likely to be sentenced to life imprisonment")
People gather for a vigil after the community experienced one of Canada’s deadliest shootings in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, on February 13, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
A US man has been charged over an alleged role in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, accused of advising the shooter and sending money
A 30-year-old US citizen has been arrested and charged in connection with the February mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, in one of the country’s deadliest such attacks. US prosecutors in Washington state announced on Tuesday that James Cody Bryant faces a charge of conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country.
The killings were carried out by Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old transgender woman who first killed her mother and brother at the family home before shooting six more people at an elementary school in the small British Columbia mining community. According to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office, Van Rootselaar and Bryant had been communicating through Discord since August 2025.
Prosecutors allege that Van Rootselaar told Bryant about her plans to kill multiple people. “Bryant agreed to record and broadcast Van Rootselaar's live stream of the murders,” the statement said, adding that the livestream was cut off only seconds after it appeared. US authorities further allege that Bryant actively assisted Van Rootselaar in preparing for the attack. “Bryant provided tactical advice on how to increase the carnage and what firearms to use; Bryant sent money to Van Rootselaar to purchase various items the shooter wanted in connection with the school attack,” the statement further continued.
According to federal prosecutors, Bryant had multiple opportunities to alert law enforcement about Van Rootselaar’s plans but allegedly failed to do so. If convicted, Bryant could face a sentence of life imprisonment, according to the US Attorney. Van Rootselaar died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound as police entered the elementary school.
Earlier, the Canadian province of British Columbia has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in a US federal court, alleging that the company failed to alert authorities about concerning interactions on ChatGPT before the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting. The lawsuit, filed follows an earlier apology from OpenAI over its failure to notify law enforcement about the ChatGPT account linked to Jessie Van Rootselaar before the 18-year-old killed eight people, including six children, in February 2026.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
