The US Department of Justice said Tuesday it has arrested James Codey Bryant, 30, a Washington state resident, on charges of conspiracy to commit murder abroad in connection with a Canadian school shooting that killed eight people in February. The development is a surprise, marking the first time information has emerged about an alleged accomplice alongside the main gunman.
According to the indictment, Bryant is accused of providing money and "technical advice" to the main suspect over the six months before the attack. Canadian police identified the gunman as Jesse Van Rootselaar, who had a history of mental health problems. The shooting at a school in British Columbia was the second-deadliest school shooting in Canada's history.
Authorities had previously learned that Van Rootselaar used ChatGPT to plan the attack. The safety team at OpenAI, the company that owns the chatbot, internally flagged Van Rootselaar's account after discovering conversations about gun violence but did not alert police. The company is said to have closed Van Rootselaar's account, but she opened a second one that was not shut down. Victims' families and the government of British Columbia have sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman for failing to report the behavior.
What had not previously been disclosed was that Van Rootselaar also discussed her plan with a real person. At a joint news conference with the US Department of Justice and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), authorities alleged that Bryant and Van Rootselaar met on the now-defunct messaging service Omegle about three years before the shooting and stayed in contact.
Neil Floyd, acting US attorney, and W Mike Herrington, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Seattle field office, said they believe Bryant sent Van Rootselaar about $100 to buy new shoes and about $15 to buy a lighter. Authorities said there is no indication the two suspects ever met in person.
According to the indictment obtained by CBC, Bryant "knowingly and intentionally" conspired with Van Rootselaar from around August 2025 or earlier. Also in August 2025, Bryant told Van Rootselaar that the two should "find a way to delete" their messages, and by mid-December, Bryant suggested using a VPN to avoid detection when "posting a shooting video online."
Police said Bryant repeatedly tried to dissuade Van Rootselaar from carrying out the attack but did not contact law enforcement. After Van Rootselaar shot dead her mother and brother at their home, she was unable to start her car. Bryant talked her through how to get it running, helping the gunman reach the school and carry out the attack, according to authorities.
Bryant is also accused of agreeing to livestream the shooting. Herrington said police are not certain whether Van Rootselaar would have carried out the attack if Bryant had not done so. It is not clear whether the suspect has legal representation. Bryant will be prosecuted in the US as a US citizen in an investigation conducted by the FBI, which said it will continue to work closely with Canadian authorities.
