Disturbing new details of Tumbler Ridge shooting plans revealed in court documents
30-year-old Bellingham, Wash., resident James Cody Bryant arrested, charged in connection to mass shooting
WARNING:
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This story contains disturbing details.
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Court documents filed in Washington state are revealing new details about the months leading up to a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., in February that left eight people, as well as the shooter, dead.
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On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced 30-year-old James Cody Bryant had been arrested and charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country, a charge that is punishable by up to life in prison.
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Officials allege Bryant had been in contact with the shooter, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, on the social media platform Discord leading up to the attack.
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The criminal complaint, which was published online, says Bryant "knowingly and wilfully" conspired with Van Rootselaar beginning in or before August 2025.
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The complaint says Discord voluntarily shared information with the RCMP, which then shared it with the FBI.
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Homeland Security investigators interviewed Bryant two days after the shooting at Bryant's home in Bellingham, Wash., the document says.
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In early March, the FBI interviewed Bryant, and learned Bryant and Van Rootselaar met online about three years ago and had contact on and off through the years, court documents say.
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A search warrant for Bryant's Discord account was issued in Washington state after Bryant did not give consent for the social media company to send the FBI social media communications with Van Rootselaar, according to the document.
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Those records contained multiple conversations between the two, it adds.
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On Aug. 8, about six months before the attack, Van Rootselaar detailed the most deadly shootings in Canadian history, and talked about how she could "steal that title," court documents show.
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The documents show Bryant responded with advice on how to kill more people.
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James Cody Bryant, centre, is seen in a court sketch drawn during an appearance in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Oct. 6, 2026.
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Bryant, 30, is charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country in connection with the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. (Lois Silver/CBC)
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Van Rootselaar asked Bryant to record and broadcast a livestream of the attack, Bryant told investigators.
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Bryant said they agreed to do it to "placate" Van Rootselaar, and admitted to testing the livestream equipment, the court document says.
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Around Aug. 11, Bryant told Van Rootselaar they should "find a way to delete" their messages, the documents say.
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The complaint says that on Aug. 30, 2025, Bryant helped Van Rootselaar test the quality of a livestream, and that Bryant said it "looks solid."
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They ran a test run of the livestream on Jan. 4, 2026.
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Over the course of several months, the pair discussed weapons, stickers to decorate the weapons, shoes to wear on the day of the attack and money Bryant was providing for those items.
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"Need to figure out smoe way to get you money\ I wanna make sure you get your stuff.
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Literally giving you access to my card," Bryant said in a message on Jan. 25.
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Bryant sent Van Rootselaar about $125 on Nov. 21 for a pair of shoes she wanted to wear during the attack, according to the documents.
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Another $14 was sent on Jan. 25, two weeks before the attack, for a lighter intended for an explosive device.
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Van Rootselaar sent Bryant a photo of what the fully assembled explosive device would look like, according to the documents.
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A statement from the FBI in the documents said that device was deployed during the attack on Feb. 10, 2026.
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A temporary memorial for victims of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting is seen on April 27, 2026.
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In the interview with FBI investigators, Bryant said Van Rootselaar talked about a target for a mass shooting, and suggested a school — but said they told her it was a bad idea, "because there would be too many young victims."
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Instead, Bryant said they suggested a church or grocery store, according to the court documents.
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One message from August 2025 shows Van Rootselaar was considering an attack in another northern B.C. municipality — Dawson Creek, Fort St. John or Prince George — at either a mall or school.
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'You don't have to die'
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In November, Van Rootselaar told Bryant she would not hurt children, according to the documents.
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I don't hurt animals, kids.
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I'm not that bad but murder is one of the worst things," she said.
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"Yeah if you said you'd go to a school then I'd take issue more staunchly but luckily you're an angel~you wouldn't do that," Bryant responded.
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A police officer is seen on the grounds of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School the day after the shooting on Feb. 11.
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A couple of weeks later, Van Rootselaar said she wanted to hurt other people but remain unharmed herself, according to the criminal complaint.
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"You don't have to die," Bryant responded.
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In early January, Van Rootselaar said she was going to carry out the attack imminently, according to the document, and Bryant tried to get her to reconsider.
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…and 20 more, not listed.
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