According to the US Department of Justice, Bryant was detained on Tuesday and charged with having, over the six months before the killings, given the alleged shooter money and “technical advice”. Authorities also say this is a case involving a mass shooting at a Canadian school that became the second deadliest in the country’s history.
At a joint press conference of the US Department of Justice and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, it was said that Bryant and Van Rutselaar met on the now-closed Omegle service about three years before the shooting and continued communicating. Acting federal prosecutor Neil Floyd and FBI special agent in Seattle W. Mike Herrington said that Bryant, according to their data, sent her about $100 for new boots and about $15 for a lighter.
According to investigators, in August 2025 Bryant “knowingly and intentionally” entered into a conspiracy with Van Rutselaar. In mid-December, he allegedly suggested that she use a VPN to hide the posting of the shooting video, and earlier advised her to delete the correspondence.
Police say Bryant tried several times to dissuade her from the attack, but did not contact law enforcement. After Van Rutselaar shot her mother and brother in the family home and was unable to start the car, he explained how to start the engine so she could drive to the school and continue the attack; in addition, according to authorities, he agreed to help stream the mass shooting. According to police, there are no signs that the suspects ever met in person, and it is still unclear whether Bryant has a lawyer.
In February, as was already known, Van Rutselaar was preparing the attack with the help of ChatGPT; OpenAI’s security team internally flagged her after a conversation about gun violence, but did not warn the police. The company, according to authorities, closed one account, but the second remained active, and the families of the victims and the province of British Columbia filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman. The FBI said it would continue to work closely with its Canadian counterparts.
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