Weeks before she carried out a rampage that killed eight people, Jesse Van Rootselaar sent her shadowy online friend a message that now reads like a countdown.
asserted
that → carry → countdown
'I need attention before I die,' the 18-year-old transgender shooter allegedly wrote ahead of the bloodbath of February 10, 2026, in the Canadian Rockies town of Tumbler Ridge.
uncertain
shooter → need → Ridge
The two had chatted online for three years by the time Van Rootselaar killed her mother and stepbrother at home in the remote mountain town.
asserted
Rootselaar → chat → town
She then drove to her former school, where she murdered a teacher and five young students before taking her own life, police say.
asserted
police → drive → life
In those chats, the pair allegedly hatched plans, swapped photos of homemade bombs and weapons adorned with trans motifs, and mapped out how to inflict the maximum carnage.
uncertain
pair → hatch → carnage
The FBI says that online friend was a direct accomplice, and last week it named the accused as James Cody Bryant, 30, who lived in Bellingham in Washington state.
asserted
who → say → state
Bryant, who is also trans, appeared before a judge in Seattle on Tuesday afternoon, charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country, the US Department of Justice said.
asserted
Department → appear → Justice
The charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison if convicted, and Bryant has not yet entered a plea or been linked to a publicly listed lawyer.
asserted
Bryant → carry → lawyer
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on February 10, killing one teacher and five students
James 'Cody' Bryant, 30, of Bellingham, Washington, was arrested Tuesday after federal prosecutors accused him of communicating extensively with Jesse Van Rootselaar in the months before the February 10 attack
Thousands of miles away in Florida, Bryant's family has been left reeling that someone with 'a lot of potential' could have allegedly played a part in such horror.
uncertain
someone → open → horror
'I don't know how it could have gone this wrong with him or her,' said Bryant's younger sister, Caitlin Bryant, 23, who spoke to the Daily Mail from Tampa.
uncertain
who → know → Tampa
Born and raised in Florida, Bryant lived with relatives there until moving across the country to Washington State in 2021, and came home only once, for their mother's wedding that August.
asserted
Bryant → bear → wedding
Caitlin believes she was the closest to her brother, bonding over video games, but noted he was 'getting distant' and the two have not spoken since the middle of 2025.
asserted
two → believe → 2025
She learned in April 2025 that her sibling was taking cross-sex hormones and had been for a while, but said she had no idea about any of the online communications.
asserted
she → learn → communications
Caitlin switched between 'he' and 'she' pronouns for Bryant, whom she called her 'brother.'
asserted
she → switch → whom
She called the alleged plot 'bizarre' and said she saw no hint of radicalization, aggression or political extremism in Bryant.
asserted
she → call → Bryant
The family has not yet discussed what they can do, and Caitlin fears they may not have the money to help out.
uncertain
they → discuss → money
'I personally would love to go over there to at least see him one last time, but I don't know if that's going to be possible,' she added.
asserted
she → love → him
Bryant had seemingly dropped off the face of the earth after that April conversation, Caitlin said, adding that Bryant has no social media presence.
asserted
Bryant → drop → presence
It also appears that her Discord and Twitch accounts have been completely scrubbed.
asserted
accounts → appear → ?
But now Bryant's alleged Discord messages have spilled out in the FBI's 41-page complaint, which lays bare a twisted chat dominated by anger, suicide, grievance and a hunger for notoriety.
asserted
which → allege → notoriety
Van Rootselaar had suffered a series of mental health problems, and the chats paint a young person consumed by pain, rage and a craving to be seen.
asserted
chats → suffer → pain
The complaint says the pair met online around 2023, roughly three years before the attack, and Caitlin noted that Van Rootselaar was still a minor back then.
Van Rootselaar was later hospitalized after being deemed a danger to herself, according to the document, and the pair lost touch for a time.
They reconnected, and investigators say the bond grew more intense in the final months, with Van Rootselaar frequently talking about killing family members and others she believed had mistreated her.
In one chilling exchange, Van Rootselaar discussed earlier Canadian shootings and mused that she could 'steal that title,' according to the complaint.
uncertain
she → say → complaint
Prosecutors allege Bryant allegedly provided tactical advice, recommended firearms, supplied money for items connected to the planned attack and helped Van Rootselaar test equipment for a livestream that was intended to broadcast the massacre
The FBI released transcripts of the alleged dark chain of messages between Bryant and Van Rootselaar
Bryant at one point in the thread praised Van Rootselaar for her 'solid plans' for a mass killing
Bryant replied with advice on how to kill more people, and about three days later suggested they 'find a way to delete' their messages.
uncertain
they → allege → messages
The document says Bryant 'knowingly and wilfully' conspired with Van Rootselaar from August 2025 or earlier, a stretch of up to six months before the shooting.
asserted
Bryant → say → shooting
The messages suggest a close, emotionally supportive bond, and the pair seemingly discussed Van Rootselaar's personal grievances far more than any violent transgender ideology.
asserted
pair → suggest → ideology
Over several months, they talked about weapons, blue, pink and white trans stickers to decorate them with, shoes to wear on the day and the money Bryant was providing.
asserted
Bryant → talk → day
Van Rootselaar wanted the world to watch and asked Bryant to record and broadcast the attack live, the complaint says.
asserted
complaint → want → attack
Bryant told investigators that running the livestream was meant to 'placate' Van Rootselaar, yet admitted testing the equipment and, on August 30, allegedly wrote that the test stream 'looks solid.
uncertain
stream → tell → August
'If I don't livestream it people can be detached from the gravity of how I feel.
asserted
I → livestream → gravity
It's just another headline,' Van Rootselaar allegedly wrote to Bryant.
uncertain
Rootselaar → write → Bryant
She added: 'I need people to see it and personally witness the lives be impacted,' a demand Bryant allegedly agreed to meet.
uncertain
Bryant → add → it
The day before the attack, Bryant allegedly claimed to have adjusted to a different sleep schedule to be able to help run the livestream, the complaint shows.
uncertain
complaint → claim → livestream
Van Rootselaar had sent Bryant a photo of the fully assembled explosive device, which the FBI says was deployed during the attack.
asserted
FBI → send → attack
According to the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington, Bryant and Van Rootselaar began communicating through Discord by August 2025 about a plan to kill multiple people in Canada
He also allegedly advised her on concealing the plot, including deleting messages and using virtual private networks to hide online activity as well as advising her on constructing a makeshift explosive device
At some points, Bryant appeared to be trying to talk Van Rootselaar out of killing innocents
On the day itself, Van Rootselaar told Bryant she was dressed for the attack and sent photos and video of herself and the weapons she planned to use.
uncertain
she → accord → herself
Bryant said the stream was ready to run, and moments later Van Rootselaar announced she had killed her family at home, the complaint says.
asserted
complaint → say → home
When she could not work out how to start the car for the drive to the school, she asked Bryant for help, according to the filing.
uncertain
she → work → filing
Throughout the exchanges included in the criminal complaint, Bryant repeatedly promised not to contact police, at one point asking: 'You believe me when I promise I won't snitch on you, right?'
asserted
I → include → you
In another message, Bryant conceded: 'I know I can like, save lives I guess but idk,' yet kept the plan secret, the complaint alleges.
asserted
complaint → concede → plan
Prosecutors allege Bryant also helped Van Rootselaar pick locations without corridors and hallways that would allow potential victims to escape.
asserted
victims → allege → corridors
'Wide open spaces means numbers,' Bryant allegedly wrote on August 25, 2025, and elsewhere praised Van Rootselaar's 'solid plans' and advised a handgun to 'cause a lot of damage.
uncertain
Bryant → mean → damage
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
