A biological male from Washington state who identifies as a “transgender” woman allegedly helped a Canadian mass shooter reach a school after the killer had already murdered two family members, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Federal agents arrested James Cody Bryant, 30, of Bellingham, on a charge of conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country. The charge carries up to life in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced.
Bryant and the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, are biological males who identified as female, officials said at the Seattle news conference, Reuters reported.
Van Rootselaar killed eight victims across a home and Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on February 10, 2026, before dying by suicide. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, police identified Van Rootselaar as a former student.
Help after the first killings
The criminal complaint describes a final exchange after Van Rootselaar told Bryant he had shot his family members. The shooter could not start the family car. Bryant allegedly offered instructions that helped him get it running and drive to the school.
There, Van Rootselaar killed five children ages 12 and 13 and an educational assistant. Prosecutors said he also detonated an improvised explosive device, fired through locked classroom doors and exchanged gunfire with police.
The school victims were Abel Mwansa, Ezekiel Schofield, Kylie Smith, Zoey Benoit, Ticaria Lampert and Shannda Aviugana-Durand. The victims at the home were Jennifer Jacobs, 39, and Emmett Jacobs, 11, Canadian police confirmed.
Months of planning and promises
Bryant and Van Rootselaar discussed the planned attack on Discord beginning no later than August 2025, prosecutors said. Bryant allegedly agreed to record and broadcast the killings, tested the livestream equipment and advised Van Rootselaar about concealing their communications.
“Wide open spaces means numbers,” Bryant wrote during a discussion about potential targets, according to the complaint.
The filing also alleges Bryant sent $124.47 for shoes the shooter later wore during the attack. A separate $14.33 transfer intended for a lighter for an explosive device did not go through: PayPal reversed it because the recipient’s account was no longer active.
Bryant repeatedly promised not to alert police, even when Van Rootselaar discussed conduct that could bring a terrorism charge, the complaint alleges.
“I still won’t snitch,” Bryant wrote in a September 2, 2025, exchange reproduced in the filing.
Warnings without a call to police
The complaint also records occasions when Bryant expressed disapproval and urged Van Rootselaar to delay or abandon the attack. Bryant told investigators he considered a school a bad target because of the young victims and suggested a grocery store or church instead.
Prosecutors said Bryant ultimately never contacted law enforcement and agreed to handle the livestream minutes before the attack.
Canadian investigators continue to examine digital evidence and are considering further charges in Canada, Assistant Commissioner Elija Rain said in an October 6 statement. Investigators have reviewed more than 90 statements from students, educators and first responders.
Bryant faces an allegation, not a conviction, and retains the presumption of innocence.
