US resident arrested in connection to Canada school shooting

A 30-year-old individual named James Cody Bryant was apprehended in Washington state on Tuesday, accused of providing advice and offering to live-stream a deadly mass shooting that occurred in Canada earlier this year. According to the Department of Justice, he was charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country in connection to the Tumbler Ridge school shooting.

The charge could result in a life sentence. Bryant was in frequent contact with the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, offering technical assistance, sending money for the shooter's footwear, and agreeing to live-stream the event. FBI officials stated that Bryant had the knowledge and ability to alert law enforcement and even discussed this possibility with the shooter, but chose not to, instead encouraging and aiding the murderer.

The Tumbler Ridge shooting, which took place in British Columbia, Canada, resulted in the deaths of nine people, primarily children. The shooter, Van Rootselaar, had a history of mental health issues and killed her mother and stepbrother before the school shooting. She then took her own life. Bryant, who reportedly identifies as female, agreed to live-stream the attack on the video platform Twitch, hoping to maximize notoriety for the shooter.

However, the live stream was terminated after about 20 seconds. FBI officials noted that without Bryant's involvement, the outcome of the shooting may have been different, as the shooter was concerned about attracting enough viewers and relied on Bryant to amplify the live stream.