Disturbing messages encouraging trans mass shooter bring shadowy figure to light… as shocked family speaks out over plot allegations
US prosecutors have charged James Cody Bryant, 30, with conspiring online with Jesse Van Rootselaar before she killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, on 10 February 2026. The case has drawn attention to how the pair’s online contact allegedly developed into plans for an attack, and Bryant’s family say they were unaware of the messages.
An FBI complaint says the two met online around 2023 and exchanged messages, images of homemade weapons and bombs, and ideas for causing mass casualties. Van Rootselaar, 18, killed her mother and stepbrother at home, then a teacher and five pupils at her former school, before taking her own life, police say. Bryant appeared in court in Seattle and faces a charge carrying up to life in prison if convicted; he has not entered a plea. His sister said she saw no sign of extremism and had not spoken with him since mid-2025.
- US prosecutors accuse Bryant of helping plan the Tumbler Ridge attack.
- The FBI says the pair exchanged messages and weapon images.
- Bryant’s sister says she knew nothing of the alleged communications.