Indictment alleges Bryant offered technical advice, money for six months
The US Department of Justice and the FBI announced the arrest at a joint press conference Tuesday with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Acting US Attorney Neil Floyd and W. Mike Herrington, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle bureau, detailed the allegations against Bryant and described the evidence that investigators say ties him to the attack.
According to an indictment obtained by CBC, Bryant was “knowingly and wilfully” conspiring with Van Rootselaar beginning in or before August 2025. Authorities said the two met on Omegle, a now-defunct messaging service, about three years before the shooting and stayed in contact. There is no indication the two ever met in person, according to law enforcement.
Bryant allegedly sent Van Rootselaar about $100 to buy new shoes and about $15 for a lighter, Floyd and Herrington said. In August, the indictment alleges, Bryant told Van Rootselaar the pair should “find a way to delete” their messages. In mid-December, Bryant suggested obtaining a virtual private network to avoid detection for “posting a shooting video online,” according to the court document reviewed by CBC.
The indictment further alleges that after Van Rootselaar shot and killed her mother and half-brother in the family home, she was unable to start the car. Bryant advised her on how to turn on the engine, allowing the shooter to reach the school, authorities said.
Bryant also allegedly agreed to livestream the mass shooting. Herrington said police were not sure Van Rootselaar would have committed the attack had Bryant not agreed to do so.
On several occasions, police said, Bryant tried to talk Van Rootselaar out of committing the attack, but did not contact law enforcement.
The school shooting in February killed eight people, including six children, and was the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. The victims’ families and the province of British Columbia have sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging the company failed to report Van Rootselaar’s behavior.
It had been previously reported that OpenAI’s safety team had flagged Van Rootselaar internally after she discussed gun violence with ChatGPT, but the company did not alert police. OpenAI reportedly closed Van Rootselaar’s first account, but she opened a second that was not closed.
Bryant will be prosecuted in the United States as a US citizen, the FBI said. Herrington said the FBI will continue to work closely with Canadian authorities.