Your Island News for Tuesday, October 6

Good evening.

Thanks very much for joining us.

A major development tonight in the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge.

U.S. authorities, including the FBI, say a 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the February massacre that left nine people dead.

With more on this, let's check in with Mackenzie Reed, who joins us live in studio.

Mackenzie, what do we know about the person who's been arrested and charged, and what's their link to the Tumbler Ridge shooter?

Well, Stacey, during a joint press conference with RCMP, Seattle FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office, we learned that 30-year-old suspect named James Cody Bryant of Bellingham, Washington, was allegedly in repeated contact with the shooter for a minimum of six months before the deadly shooting.

The FBI saying Bryant gave both advice and money to Jesse Van Rootseller, even offering to live stream the attack on Twitch.

Today Bryant is in custody, charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country.

That charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison.

U.S. officials revealing today that 30-year-old James Cody Bryant gave advice and money to the Tumblr Ridge shooter and tried to live stream the attack on social media to amplify the impact of the murders.

I read a lot of court documents, including some that discuss incredibly heinous acts of violence.

But this complaint was particularly difficult to read, in part because of the casual tone these two individuals used when discussing the mass taking of innocent lives that was being planned.

Special Agent Harrington says that Bryant and 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootseller, who both identify as women, first connected about three years ago on a website called Omegle.

A 49-page document released today outlines several conversations between the two on the social media site Discord discussing plans for the shooting.

Starting in August 2025, when Van Rootseller talked about how she could possibly achieve the deadliest shooting in Canadian history.

With the two discussing possible locations, including a school, grocery store, or mall, which seemed to be the 18-year-old's preference, saying she wants to avoid a school, although there's many reasons it's ideal.

Bryant had the information and ability to alert law enforcement and even discussed that possibility with a shooter, but he chose not to.

Instead, he encouraged and offered assistance to a murderer.

In the six months leading up to the shooting, Bryant and Van Rootseller discussed the 18-year-old's mental health struggles and keen focus on notoriety, which could have contributed to the motive.

Documents show the two talking about different weapons to use, with Bryant refusing to purchase any weapons for Van Rootseller.

However, Bryant did send about $150 for shoes Van Roodseller wore during the shooting and about $15, a transaction that was later reversed, to buy a lighter for a homemade explosive device which was detonated in the school during the attack.

Bryant also promised to live-stream the shooting.

The feed lasted about 20 seconds, briefly showing the killer sitting in a vehicle with a rifle before being cut off.

Without Bryant's misplaced loyalty and willingness to operate the live stream, we don't ultimately know if the shooter would have gone through with the crime.

Good evening.

Thanks very much for joining us.

A major development tonight in the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge.

U.S. authorities, including the FBI, say a 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the February massacre that left nine people dead.

With more on this, let's check in with Mackenzie Reed, who joins us live in studio.

Mackenzie, what do we know about the person who's been arrested and charged, and what's their link to the Tumbler Ridge shooter?

Well, Stacey, during a joint press conference with RCMP, Seattle FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office, we learned that 30-year-old suspect named James Cody Bryant of Bellingham, Washington, was allegedly in repeated contact with the shooter for a minimum of six months before the deadly shooting.

The FBI saying Bryant gave both advice and money to Jesse Van Rootseller, even offering to live stream the attack on Twitch.

Today Bryant is in custody, charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country.

That charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison.

U.S. officials revealing today that 30-year-old James Cody Bryant gave advice and money to the Tumblr Ridge shooter and tried to live stream the attack on social media to amplify the impact of the murders.

I read a lot of court documents, including some that discuss incredibly heinous acts of violence.

But this complaint was particularly difficult to read, in part because of the casual tone these two individuals used when discussing the mass taking of innocent lives that was being planned.

Special Agent Harrington says that Bryant and 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootseller, who both identify as women, first connected about three years ago on a website called Omegle.

A 49-page document released today outlines several conversations between the two on the social media site Discord discussing plans for the shooting.

Starting in August 2025, when Van Rootseller talked about how she could possibly achieve the deadliest shooting in Canadian history.

With the two discussing possible locations, including a school, grocery store, or mall, which seemed to be the 18-year-old's preference, saying she wants to avoid a school, although there's many reasons it's ideal.

Bryant had the information and ability to alert law enforcement and even discussed that possibility with a shooter, but he chose not to.

Instead, he encouraged and offered assistance to a murderer.

In the six months leading up to the shooting, Bryant and Van Rootseller discussed the 18-year-old's mental health struggles and keen focus on notoriety, which could have contributed to the motive.

Documents show the two talking about different weapons to use, with Bryant refusing to purchase any weapons for Van Rootseller.

However, Bryant did send about $150 for shoes Van Roodseller wore during the shooting and about $15, a transaction that was later reversed, to buy a lighter for a homemade explosive device which was detonated in the school during the attack.

Bryant also promised to live-stream the shooting.

The feed lasted about 20 seconds, briefly showing the killer sitting in a vehicle with a rifle before being cut off.

Without Bryant's misplaced loyalty and willingness to operate the live stream, we don't ultimately know if the shooter would have gone through with the crime.