James Cody Bryant, a 30-year-old Washington state resident, was charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country in the Jesse Van Rootselaar case. Prosecutors said he had been in contact with Van Rootselaar before the Feb. 10 shootings in Tumbler Ridge.
The charge carries up to life in prison. Bryant was in custody Tuesday after being arrested and charged in connection with the killings that left eight people dead and two other children seriously wounded.
Omegle and Discord Contact
Prosecutors said Bryant and Van Rootselaar met on Omegle around three years before the shooting and kept in contact through Discord. Neil Floyd said Bryant had been in repeated contact with the shooter, and that he had the information and ability to alert law enforcement but chose not to.
Floyd said Bryant gave the shooter advice and money and offered to help livestream the killings. He also said, "Bryant provided advice and offered assistance on how to get the car started so that JVR could proceed to the school and kill children".
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School
Van Rootselaar killed her mother and 11-year-old stepbrother about 2 p.m. on Feb. 10, then went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and killed five children and a teacher. The five children were three 12-year-old girls and two boys, one 12 and the other 13.
Floyd said at a news conference Tuesday that Bryant "had the information and ability to alert law enforcement, and even discussed that possibility with the shooter — but chose not to". He added, "Instead, he encouraged and offered assistance to a murderer."
Twitch Livestream
On Feb. 10, the shooting was livestreamed on Twitch for about 20 seconds before it shut off. Twitch said an account appearing to be Bryant's was the only account that saw the livestream, tying the online trail to the charge now filed in the Western District of Washington.
Bryant allegedly tried to talk Van Rootselaar out of the attack several times, but prosecutors say he still offered help and did not alert law enforcement. The case now turns on what prosecutors can prove about that mix of warnings, assistance and silence.
