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FBI depicts Tumbler Ridge shooter’s guns, including ‘SKS’ once confiscated by RCMP

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Cite

Digital, G. (2026, October 7). FBI depicts Tumbler Ridge shooter’s guns, including ‘SKS’ once confiscated by RCMP. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/12090914/fbi-depicts-tumbler-ridge-shooters-guns-including-sks-once-confiscated-by-rcmp/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Global News · collected 2026-10-07 · by Globalnews Digital
Content note This article describes suicide or self-harm and violence described in detail.

Quick Summary

The FBI has released details about weapons potentially used by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who killed eight people including family members and school staff in Tumbler Ridge on February 10. The complaint states that Van Rootselaar stole firearms from her family's gun safe and planned to use an SKS rifle, which had previously been confiscated but returned, along with a Canuck-branded shotgun. These weapons were decorated with symbols significant to Van Rootselaar’s identity as transgender.
Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 6, James Cody Bryant, a 30-year-old resident of Bellingham, Washington, was arrested and charged by U.S. authorities with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country related to the deadly school shooting that occurred on February 10 in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The shooting left nine dead, including Jesse Van Rootselaar, the alleged shooter who died by suicide at the scene.

Bryant communicated with Van Rootselaar over Discord for six months leading up to the attack and allegedly provided technical advice, sent money for shoes used during the attack, and offered to livestream the shooting. According to W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI's Seattle office, Bryant’s actions may have influenced whether Van Rootselaar would carry out the crime.

Tumbler Ridge is a small mountain town near the Alberta border with a population under 3,000 where Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old with mental health issues, killed five students aged 13 and under along with a teacher. Two more bodies were found in Van Rootselaar’s home: his mother and an 11-year-old step-brother.

The FBI investigation revealed months of alleged correspondence between Bryant and Van Rootselaar before the massacre, including discussions about acquiring weapons. New court filings detailed how Van Rootselaar stole guns from a family safe to use during the attack.

Written for “US Suspect Linked Canada School Shooting” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 16 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 US Suspect Linked Canada School Shooting
Crime & Law · 17 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 33% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
U.S. person arrested in connection with deadly Tumbler Ridge shooting Different event
Global News
Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 63/100
“Article A reports on the arrest of a person related to the Tumbler Ridge shooting, while Article B details the FBI complaint and gun-related information about the incident.”
US man arrested as second suspect in Canada mass school shooting planned with ChatGPT Same event
The Guardian
Hedges 5 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
Washington state man charged with helping Canadian mass shooter plan for attack Same event
ABC News (US)
Hedges 28 of 49 claims Outlet record 70/100
Public Safety Minister, Tumbler Ridge MP speak on shooting arrest Different event
The Globe and Mail
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 52/100
“Article A discusses FBI details about firearms and alleged conspiracies related to the Tumbler Ridge shooting, while Article B focuses on public officials' reactions to the arrest of a suspect. These are different aspects of related events.”
Scowling transgender woman appears in Seattle court charged with helping transgender shooter plan Canadian school massacre that saw five children murdered Same event
Daily Mail
Hedges 23 of 55 claims Outlet record 68/100
Tumbler Ridge shooter stole guns from family safe as part of attack plans, new court filings reveal Same event
CBC News
Hedges 7 of 33 claims Outlet record 74/100
Minnesota homecoming shooting suspect walks free two days after allegedly opening fire at high school football game Different event
New York Post
Hedges 7 of 22 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different shooting incidents in distinct locations and involving separate suspects.”
What we know about the U.S. suspect connected to the Tumbler Ridge school shooting Different event
Global News
Hedges 3 of 32 claims Outlet record 63/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the investigation into the Tumbler Ridge shooting, one focusing on the weapons and another on the U.S. suspect's arrest, indicating they are reporting on separate but related events.”
Tumbler Ridge killer decorated guns with transgender flag, chose ‘cute’ outfit for mass murder Different event
National Post
Hedges 3 of 28 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss details related to the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting incident, they focus on different aspects and do not describe the exact same specific occurrence.”
Disturbing messages encouraging trans mass shooter bring shadowy figure to light... as shocked family speaks out over plot allegations Different event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 15 of 55 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles discuss the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting incident involving Jesse Van Rootselaar, Article A focuses on details of the suspect's alleged actions and the involvement of firearms, while Article B highlights disturbing online communications between Van Rootselaar and an unnamed individual leading up to the event. They cover different aspects of related incidents.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
33%
6 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
63/100
Global News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
17
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Globalnews Digital
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Topics

FBI RCMP SKS Seattle Washington

Subjects

Van Rootselaar PERSON · 11× FBI ORG · 8× Bryant PERSON · 6× RCMP ORG · 3× Elija Rain PERSON · 1× James Bryant PERSON · 1× Jesse Van Rootselaar PERSON · 1× Seattle ORG · 1× Tumbler Ridge Secondary School ORG · 1× Washington GPE · 1×

Narrative

The complaint sworn by an FBI agent in Seattle says James Bryant, who is charged with conspiracy to murder in a foreign country, told officers that Jesse Van Rootselaar stole firearms and ammunition from her family’s gun safe and hid them in her room “in preparation for a mass shooting.”
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07
🔮 An FBI complaint against a Washington state suspect accused of conspiring with the Tumbler Ridge mass shooter for months provides extensive new details about the guns that may have been used in the attack, and how the teenage killer may have obtained them.
2026-10-07 · Global News
FBI depicts Tumbler Ridge shooter’s guns, including ‘SKS’ once confiscated by RCMP · mixed framing

Claims (18 extracted, 6 hedged)

An FBI complaint against a Washington state suspect accused of conspiring with the Tumbler Ridge mass shooter for months provides extensive new details about the guns that may have been used in the attack, and how the teenage killer may have obtained them. uncertain
killer → accuse → them
The complaint sworn by an FBI agent in Seattle says James Bryant, who is charged with conspiracy to murder in a foreign country, told officers that Jesse Van Rootselaar stole firearms and ammunition from her family’s gun safe and hid them in her room “in preparation for a mass shooting.” asserted
Rootselaar → swear → shooting
It also says in claims not tested in court that 18-year-old Van Rootselaar told Bryant in online chats that she had convinced another person to purchase ammunition on her behalf, and that one of the weapons she intended to use had been returned after previously being confiscated by the RCMP. uncertain
she → say → RCMP
Van Rootselaar killed eight victims on Feb. 10, including her mother and brother at their home, and five students and an educational assistant at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. asserted
Rootselaar → kill → School
The RCMP criminal investigation into the shooting is ongoing, despite Van Rootselaar having killed herself at the school. asserted
Rootselaar → kill → school
Assistant RCMP Commissioner Elija Rain, who is acting commanding officer in B.C., says “investigators have made substantial progress in the criminal investigation.” asserted
investigators → act → investigation
Get breaking National news Rain says in a statement that the RCMP’s release of information about the case has recently been limited “because of the need to ensure our investigative theories and actions were not compromised.” asserted
theories → get → need
The FBI complaint released on Tuesday says Van Rootselaar told Bryant on the Discord platform that she possessed a 3D-printed foregrip, firearm magazines and a “switch” device for an SKS rifle, which the FBI says likely referred to a “machine-gun conversion device.” asserted
FBI → release → device
Bryant, 30, of Bellingham, Wash., allegedly told the FBI that Van Rootselaar “ended up using some of these same items during the Tumbler Ridge shooting.” uncertain
Rootselaar → tell → shooting
A photo in the complaint depicts a person the FBI says is Van Rootselaar, posing on their knees in a black miniskirt and fishnet stockings, while holding an olive-green rifle with a telescopic sight on the morning of the attack. asserted
FBI → depict → attack
On the end of the barrel is what appears to be a suppressor, decorated in the blue, white and pink bands of the transgender Pride flag. asserted
appears → appear → flag
Van Rootselaar was trans, and the FBI said Tuesday that Bryant identifies as female. asserted
Bryant → say → ?
The FBI says that in December 2025, Van Rootselaar discussed a gun she said she was planning to use in the attack. asserted
she → say → attack
“The police knocked my SKS sights off zero a lil bit when they roughly confiscated it, so the gun has been hitting high and to the left,” she allegedly told Bryant. uncertain
she → knock → Bryant
Adjusting the sights would be “a lot of work and I may end up doing my plan with a gun with sights that are super off,” Van Rootselaar allegedly said, before adding “I’m sure I can still do fine.” uncertain
I → adjust → sights
Another photo shows a Canuck-branded shotgun that Van Rootselaar said would also be used in the attack. asserted
Rootselaar → show → attack
It is decorated with a sticker, also in blue, white and pink. asserted
It → decorate → blue
Bryant allegedly tells Van Rootselaar: “Love the stickers … stickers would be so funny to be seen in photos of the incident.” uncertain
stickers → tell → incident
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