Canada School Shooting
In this photo taken with a smartphone, Elija Rain, the assistant commissioner of the British Columbia Royal Canadian Mounted Police, speaks to the media on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in Seattle. Standing next to Rain are Mike Herrington, the FBI special agent in charge, left, and Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd, right.
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Federal authorities say a 30-year-old from Washington state conspired with an 18-year-old to commit a February mass shooting at a school in Canada. The U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle on Tuesday said James Cody Bryant of Bellingham communicated with the shooter for six months ahead of time. Authorities say Jesse Van Rootselaar killed two family members at home before attacking a nearby school, killing six more and wounding 25 others. Van Rootselaar was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials say Bryant did not report the shooter’s plans to authorities and conspired to broadcast the attacks.
A Washington state resident charged with conspiracy in one of the worst school shootings in Canada’s history has been ordered detained pending further hearings in the case. Melody Bryant, also known as James Cody Bryant, of Bellingham, Washington, was charged this month with conspiring to murder people in a foreign country. Investigators said she provided assistance to Jesse Van Rootselaar, who killed eight people and wounded 27 in the mountain community of Tumbler Ridge in February. At a detention hearing Tuesday, Magistrate Judge Mary Alice Theiler said she did not believe there were any conditions — such as internet restrictions — that could ensure the safety of the community if Bryant were to be released pending trial.
