Federal prosecutors in Washington state are testing law enforcement’s ability to punish those encouraging mass shootings from behind keyboards.
A judge ordered James Bryant detained without bail Tuesday after Bryant was arrested last week for allegedly aiding the perpetrator of a deadly February school shooting in Canada. Reports and court records showed Jesse Van Rootselaar, a transgender 18-year-old, mirrored other recent mass killers with a fixation on previous shootings and online spaces that glorify violence as entertainment.
Bryant met Van Rootselaar through the internet, sent Van Rootselaar money for the plot, discussed logistics in Discord messages, and pandered to Van Rootselaar’s desire for fame by promising to watch Van Rootselaar’s video livestream of the shooting, according to court documents. Van Rootselaar ultimately killed eight people and died by suicide at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School after killing two family members. Bryant is now charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison.
The Justice Department faces unique legal challenges in attacking the online environments that keep spurring on young perpetrators such as Van Rootselaar.
“Common defenses in conspiracy cases are that the discussions among the individuals were merely hypothetical and no agreement occurred,” former FBI agent Lara Burns told the Washington Examiner.
“The challenge in these types of cases often lies in proving the intent of the individual,” said Burns, who specialized in terrorism cases. “Was he knowingly and intentionally conspiring? Or was he merely asking questions, and/or expressing opinions and beliefs?”
An attorney for Bryant did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
“Bryant helped plan a mass murder over the course of several months,” the DOJ wrote in a Tuesday motion for detention. “Up until the last moment, Bryant could have changed course and put a stop to this horrific crime. But Bryant chose not to intercede.”
‘I still won’t snitch’
Bryant, who also identifies as transgender, suggested on Discord to Van Rootselaar other locations instead of a school as the shooter detailed ideas, the DOJ alleged. Attorneys for Bryant wrote that the defendant goes by “Melody” in a Tuesday motion, which admitted that the “chats” in question were Bryant’s.
Federal prosecutors describe alleged chat messages between the Tumbler Ridge school shooter and defendant James Bryant in an Oct. 2, 2026, complaint. (Image credit: Department of Justice)
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Federal prosecutors describe alleged chat messages between the Tumbler Ridge school shooter and defendant James Bryant in an Oct. 2, 2026, complaint. (Department of Justice)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/image_89c1ca.png?w=696" height="914" width="1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/image_89c1ca.png?w=696" alt="Federal prosecutors describe alleged chat messages between the Tumbler Ridge school shooter and defendant James Bryant" class="wp-image-4766463" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/image_89c1ca.png 1522w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/image_89c1ca.png?resize=300,268 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/image_89c1ca.png?resize=768,685 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/image_89c1ca.png?resize=1024,914 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/image_89c1ca.png?resize=150,134 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/image_89c1ca.png?resize=696,621 696w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/image_89c1ca.png?resize=1068,953 1068w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Federal prosecutors describe alleged chat messages between the Tumbler Ridge school shooter and defendant James Bryant in an Oct. 2, 2026, complaint. (Department of Justice)
Despite supposed misgivings about attacking the school, Bryant still did not report Van Rootselaar to law enforcement and allegedly ended up managing the livestream, as promised, the DOJ alleged.
“I **reallly** wanna avoid doing a school but it rlly seems like that might be a possibility, there’s just so many reasons why it’s ideal,” Van Rootselaar told Bryant in one message.
“The hotel seems like a good idea,” Bryant replied, according to the DOJ.
Van Rootselaar’s messages also described prior shootings in Canada’s history and how Van Rootselaar could achieve the “title” of most deadly, investigators found.
“Should have a handgun if you can manage a print [to be honest],” another message attributed to Bryant reads.
“Honestly I think I can cause a lot of damage this way,” Van Rootselaar said about that idea.
“Yeah you’ve got solid plans,” Bryant allegedly replied.
Bryant also tried to send Van Rootselaar $14 through PayPal after the shooter requested the funds for a lighter that was later used to detonate a bomb during the rampage, prosecutors alleged.
“I know I can like, save lives I guess but idk. …trolly problem. I’d rather you not get snitched on,” another of Bryant’s alleged messages reads.
Van Rootselaar later pressed Bryant on whether Bryant would report the plans, prosecutors said. “I still won’t snitch,” Bryant replied, according to the DOJ.
Bryant’s attorneys claimed the conversations do not prove the defendant knew the shooter would kill schoolchildren — while acknowledging the messages made the defendant seem “cold.”
“There is no evidence that Ms. Bryant initiated the planning or engaged in any violence,” they told the court, asking for pretrial release and using the defendant’s preferred pronouns. “There is no reason to suspect that Ms. Bryant has chatted, or could chat, with another person planning another horrifying crime. Indeed, if that danger were real, the government would not have left Ms. Bryant in the community for seven months before arresting her.”
“For better or worse, the First Amendment protects awful speech, even when it incites non-imminent violence,” defense attorneys said in the motion. They also claimed that Bryant cooperated with law enforcement and “expressed horror at Van Rootselaar’s crimes.”
The judge agreed with the DOJ that the community’s safety could not be guaranteed without detaining Bryant.
“Anyone whose character allows them to help plan a mass shooting and then sits back and (literally) tries to watch as schoolchildren are murdered, instead of ‘snitching’ on the killer, is a danger to the community and should be detained pending trial,” the DOJ motion reads.
‘The key to proving a conspiracy’
Those accused of cheering on mass casualty plots via the internet do not always face prosecution, despite such encouragement becoming a recurring theme in recent cases.
For example, a California man received only a temporary ban on gun ownership in May 2025 after giving weapons advice to Natalie Rupnow, the 15-year-old who opened fire at a Wisconsin Christian school in December 2024 before dying by suicide, City News Service reported.
“The question is, ‘was there a meeting of the minds?'” Burns told the Washington Examiner. “That is the key to proving a conspiracy. However, the agreement does not have to be in writing, or even spoken. Actions alone can determine whether conspirators had that meeting of the minds.”
“At trial, the government must meet the very high burden of proving each of these elements beyond a reasonable doubt,” the former FBI official said. “Therefore, they must clearly establish the defendant was not speaking hypothetically or just espousing beliefs or desires.”
As with other troubled young suspects, the internet offered Van Rootselaar a space to candidly discuss plans with an apparent stranger whom the shooter trusted not to tell authorities.
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“I don’t think someone could stop me without a gun of their own,” the shooter told Bryant over Discord.
“I might be the only one who can at this point lol,” the alleged reply came.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
