American charged as co-conspirator in Tumbler Ridge shooting pleads not guilty

The alleged co-conspirator in the fatal Tumbler Ridge mass shooting pleaded not guilty to the charges and will go to trial in December.

James Cody Bryant, 30, appeared in the Western District of Washington Court in Seattle on Oct. 22 before Magistrate Judge Michelle L. Peterson to be arraigned on the charge of conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country.

The charge, as read out by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg, alleges that beginning or before August 2025 that Bryant had conspired with the the Tumbler Ridge shooter, for which the maximum penalty is a life in prison.

Bryant, represented by a federal public defender, entered a plea of not guilty and requested discovery prior to trial.

The trial is currently scheduled for Dec. 21, before a different judge, with any pre-trial motions due by Nov. 12.

Bryant currently remains in custody after previously being denied bail.

A grand jury convened in the court returned an indictment on Oct. 16 to charge Bryant for their alleged role in the school shooting that left seven people, including the shooter, dead at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Feb. 10.

According to the indictment the shooter used an improvised explosive device to damage the school and tried to get into other classrooms by firing through locked doors. The shooter exchanged gunfire with the police, but ultimately died from a “self-inflicted wound.”

Bryant is alleged to have agreed to record the shooting and broadcast it over the internet, offered advice on where to attack and what weapons to use, and provided money for the shooter to purchase a lighter to use in an improvised explosive device.

Bryant allegedly tested the livestream again in January 2026 – the month before the shooting – and told the shooter that it worked, stated the indictment.

On the day of the shooting, Bryant allegedly confirmed that the livestream was visible, but that later it had gone down. Authorities previously said the livestream was online for 20 seconds before being shut down.

The case is still being investigated by the FBI, with help from Homeland Security Investigations and the RCMP.

There are 30-plus lawsuits filed in California court against OpenAI and its founder, Sam Altman, for its failure to notify law enforcement after it shut down two ChatGPT accounts connected to Van Rootselaar. OpenAI is seeking to have it moved to a British Columbia court.

With files from Lauren Collins – Black Press