New details in extensive FBI account of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass shooting

A complaint filed by the FBI against James Bryant in U.S. district court outlines extensive allegations regarding the mass killings that occurred in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia on February 10, 2026. According to the complaint, Bryant, who resides in Bellingham, Washington, met the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, online around three years prior.

They eventually lost touch after Van Rootselaar was placed in an institution following setting her room ablaze. However, the two resumed communication through the Discord platform in the six months leading up to the murders. FBI special agent Joseph Rico states that Bryant met with Van Rootselaar daily during this period. The complaint alleges that Bryant encouraged and advised Van Rootselaar for several months, assisting in setting up a livestream to broadcast the killings.

He is reported to have helped Van Rootselaar test the livestream equipment, explaining how she mounted a cellphone to a tactical chest rig she had purchased. Bryant allegedly provided tactical advice for executing the murders, instructing Van Rootselaar on carrying out the attacks. In August 2025, during discussions of potential target locations, Bryant commented, "Hallways also mean a lot of ways people can escape.

Corners to turn. Wide open spaces means numbers," while Van Rootselaar expressed her preference for a location with a mix of hallways and corners. On the day of the attack, Bryant helped Van Rootselaar, who was unfamiliar with driving, start the car that she used to travel to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where six victims were killed.

The complaint further reveals that CCTV footage depicts Van Rootselaar entering the school through a side entrance, opening fire on students and staff, and subsequently lighting an explosive device. The device detonated near the school's computer room and library, leaving visible blast marks. Van Rootselaar then attempted to enter other parts of the school but was thwarted by locked doors.

Police arrived on the scene, and Van Rootselaar retreated to an empty room, where she ultimately took her own life. The complaint also mentions a livestream that Bryant assisted in posting on Twitch around 20 seconds in length. During this stream, Van Rootselaar is said to have informed Bryant about her intention to commit suicide and opened fire, to which Bryant allegedly responded, "Watching now."

The FBI claims that in the months preceding the incident, Van Rootselaar confided in Bryant that she had stolen guns and ammunition from her family's gun safe, hiding them in her room in preparation for a mass shooting. Van Rootselaar also allegedly suggested that she coerced someone else to buy ammunition for her. The complaint states that according to Bryant, Van Rootselaar discussed the specific firearms and accessories she possessed, including a 3D-printed foregrip, firearm magazines, and a switch for converting an SKS rifle into a machine gun.

The FBI asserts that Van Rootselaar used several of these items during the Tumbler Ridge shooting. Prior to choosing Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as the target, Van Rootselaar is alleged to have discussed alternative locations with Bryant. Bryant allegedly suggested that a Walmart or Costco would have attracted a large crowd but feared dying in a "shitty Walmart" instead of a mall, which offered a more pleasant shopping experience.

Van Rootselaar mentioned that while she initially wanted to avoid a school, it offered the advantage of ample time to shoot before authorities arrived. The motive behind the killings, as per the FBI complaint, is that Bryant claims Van Rootselaar became increasingly angry and suicidal following her institutionalization for setting her room on fire.

Van Rootselaar often discussed the idea of using guns to murder family members and others out of a sense of being mistreated. Bryant believed that Van Rootselaar had a fixation on mass shootings, frequently watching them.