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A Washington state man faces federal charges for allegedly encouraging and assisting the gunman behind the Tumbler Ridge School mass shooting in British Columbia in February. James Cody Bryant, 30, is accused of providing money, advice, and emotional support to shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar in the months leading up to the attack. Bryant also allegedly agreed to livestream the event as it unfolded.
Court documents reveal the two had an online relationship that began three years before the shooting. However, in the six months immediately before the attack, their contact became daily. Authorities say Bryant actively escalated the situation rather than alerting law enforcement, despite being fully aware of what Van Rootselaar planned.
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Charges and Key Allegations
Neal Floyd, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, addressed the case on Tuesday. “Bryant had the information and ability to alert law enforcement, and even discussed that possibility with the shooter, but he chose not to,” Floyd said. “Instead, he encouraged and offered assistance to a murderer.”
According to court documents, Bryant told Van Rootselaar on the day of the shooting that the livestream was active while Van Rootselaar was still at home. The stream went offline approximately ten minutes later. Both Bryant and Van Rootselaar were born male and identify as female, according to authorities.
Expert Calls the Conversations Strikingly Ordinary
Amarnath Amarasingam, an associate professor at Queen’s University who specializes in extremism and radicalization, reviewed the case documents. He noted something that set this case apart from others he has studied over two decades.
“I’ve read through hundreds of attacker manifestos and hundreds of court documents, spoken to extremists myself,” Amarasingam said. “What stands out with this complaint is the kind of banality of some of their discussion.”
He described the chats as a disturbing mix of ordinary friendship and detailed planning for mass violence. “They are literally talking of killing potentially dozens and thousands of people over months and months,” he said. “Interspersed with that conversation is this kind of ordinary friendship and discussions of their shared trauma around their transgender identities.”
Amarasingam said the casual tone of the messages was particularly alarming. Over time, he explained, that casualness normalizes extreme violence and continuously pushes the conversation further. “The normalization of that conversation is also quite surprising,” he added. “You keep seeing this casualness around killing all of these people, and it continuously moves that discussion forward.”
Notoriety as Motivation
The court documents also shed light on the motivations behind the attack. Van Rootselaar asked Bryant whether the shooting would earn them any fans. Bryant reportedly replied, “I think you definitely would.”
Amarasingam said this reflects a broader problem with social media and online extremist communities. “Notoriety becomes a kind of status in these organizations,” he said. Furthermore, he noted that the audience does not need to be large for this dynamic to take hold. “The emotional approval of one person can often carry a lot of emotional weight,” he said.
Amarasingam also pointed out that mass shooters frequently seek meaning and attention through their actions. The desire for an audience, even a small one, can play a significant role in driving someone toward violence. In this case, Bryant’s encouragement appears to have provided exactly that kind of validation.
The Tumbler Ridge School shooting shocked communities across Canada and prompted renewed debate about online radicalization and the responsibilities of bystanders who become aware of planned attacks. Bryant’s case now moves through the U.S. federal court system, where prosecutors argue he bears direct responsibility for enabling the deadly event.
