Washington resident conspired with Canadian school shooter before attack, officials say

SEATTLE (AP) — Federal authorities said Tuesday that they have arrested and charged a 30-year-old from Washington state with encouraging an 18-year-old to commit one of the worst school shootings in Canada’s history by offering to livestream the February attack, providing money and sharing advice on how to delete online messages to keep the plot a secret.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle said James Cody Bryant of Bellingham, Washington, communicated with Jesse Van Rootselaar in British Columbia for at least six months ahead of the shooting. Bryant, who identifies as female, did not report Van Rootselaar’s plans to authorities, authorities allege.

“Without Bryant’s misplaced loyalty and willingness to operate the livestream, we don’t ultimately know if the shooter would have gone through with the crime,” said W. Mike Herrington, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle office.

Authorities say Van Rootselaar first killed her mother and stepbrother at home before attacking a nearby school in the mountain community of Tumbler Ridge, killing five children ages 12 and 13 at the school as well as an educational assistant. Twenty-five others were wounded.

Van Rootselaar was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Bryant was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country — a “novel” charge for a case like this, said Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd during a press conference. It was not immediately known if Bryant had a lawyer. A court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

Communicating over Discord with Van Rootselaar, Bryant gave tactical advice on how to carry out the killings to have the strongest impact, according to the complaint.

“Hallways also mean a lot of ways people can escape,” Bryant wrote, the complaint said. “Corners to turn. Wide open spaces means numbers.”

Bryant also sent Van Rootselaar money to purchase a lighter that would be used to construct an explosive device and advised Van Rootselaar about how to keep the plot a secret by deleting online messages and using virtual private networks, officials said.

Bryant tried to talk Van Rootselaar out of committing the attack at various points, authorities said, but ultimately did not contact law enforcement and provided support for carrying out the shooting, authorities said.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in Ottawa that the allegations were devastating.

“Nothing will bring back the eight lives that were devastated back in February, but it is important that those who are responsible are held to account,” he told reporters.

Anandasangaree said it was too soon to say whether Bryant could also face charges in Canada, but added that Canadian prosecution would be possible if investigators determine Canadian laws were broken.

Bob Zimmer, the federal lawmaker who represents Tumbler Ridge, said the victims deserve answers.

“It is deeply troubling, the allegations that this individual coached the shooter all throughout the process in an effort to livestream the event,” Zimmer said.

Tumbler Ridge in the Canadian Rockies is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) northeast of Vancouver, British Columbia, near the provincial border with Alberta. The provincial government website lists Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as having 175 students from Grades 7 to 12.

The families of victims are suing artificial intelligence company OpenAI in U.S. federal court, seeking to hold the ChatGPT maker responsible for failing to alert police to the shooter’s alarming interactions with the chatbot.

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The story and headline have been corrected to identify Bryant as a resident of Washington. Authorities say Bryant identifies as female.

Associated Press reporter Rob Gillies contributed to this report from Toronto.

Martha Bellisle, The Associated Press