US arrests suspect in connection with Tumbler Ridge school shooting

By Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated Press. Published On 6 Oct 20266 Oct 2026.

Key points

• Law enforcement in the northwestern United States have charged a suspect in connection with a deadly shooting at a Canadian school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
• On Tuesday, prosecutors charged 30-year-old James Cody Bryant, a resident of Washington state, with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country.
• In September, the British Columbia administration sued the technology business OpenAI in a California court, saying its ChatGPT platform played a role in the shooting.
• Bryant allegedly provided funds and technical advice to the attacker in conversations over the internet, starting six months before the February 10 attack.
• The shooting was "a horrific tragedy for that small community and for all of Canada", acting US Attorney Neil Floyd remarked at a news conference in Seattle.

Notably, the shooting was "a horrific tragedy for that small community and for all of Canada", acting US Attorney Neil Floyd remarked at a news conference in Seattle. "Indeed, here in the Pacific Northwest, we felt the pain of those families devastated by this violence."

Canadian authorities have described the attack as one of the country's worst mass shootings.

Notably, the suspect, 18-year-old transgender woman Jesse Van Rootselaar, shot and killed her mother and half-brother at their home before travelling to the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and opening fire.

Six individuals were killed, including five students, and 27 other victims were injured. Van Rootselaar, a former student at the school, died by suicide at the end of the attack.

Police in Canada remarked at the time that Van Rootselaar had a history of mental health matters. Alleged online advice and financial backing.

US prosecutors allege Bryant and Van Rootselaar had been in touch through the social media service Discord and had discussed how to carry out the mass shooting.

In practice, the pair discussed how to maximise notoriety after the attack, with Bryant allegedly agreeing to livestream it through Twitch, Floyd remarked on Tuesday.

Bryant additionally allegedly provided capital for items like a pair of shoes for the attack and instructed Van Rootselaar on how to start and then drive a car to reach the school.

Prosecutors alleged Bryant, whom authorities cited by The Associated Press and Reuters say identifies as female, had admitted to investigators that she was "maybe the only one who could have stopped the shooter".

Van Rootselaar, the Canadian authorities alleged, had been flagged by OpenAI's safety team for her statements concerning gun violence, and her account had been suspended. But law enforcement authorities were not alerted to the difficulty.

In its lawsuit, British Columbia sought financial compensation from the firm to cover its emergency response to the shooting and community recovery efforts.

It additionally asked the court to force OpenAI to reform how it identifies and handles users who threaten violence.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman remarked he was "deeply sorry" his business had not contacted law enforcement in a public letter two months after the shooting.

"While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered, " he wrote, adding that OpenAI would take steps to prevent such "tragedies" going forward.

For context, the lawsuit filed in California alleges Altman's firm never undertook the promised policy changes.

By the time of the filing, OpenAI was facing more than 30 other lawsuits in California, where it is based, from victims' families, survivors and others affected by the Tumbler Ridge attack over alleged negligence.

Taken together, the developments around US arrests suspect in connection with Tumbler Ridge school shooting point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.