US man arrested as second suspect in Canada mass school shooting planned with ChatGPT

Bryant offered money and “technical advice” to the suspected shooter for six months leading up to the killings, the department alleged. Canadian police have identified the suspect in the February massacre of eight people—her mother, half-brother and six children—as Jesse Van Rootselaar, who has a history of mental health problems. The attack was the second-deadliest school shooting in Canada’s history, according to authorities.

At a joint press conference with the Justice Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Tuesday, authorities alleged that Bryant and Van Rootselaar met about three years earlier on the now-defunct messaging service Omegle and kept in contact. Neil Floyd, acting US attorney, and W Mike Herrington, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle bureau, said they believe Bryant sent Van Rootselaar about $100 to buy new shoes and about $15 for a lighter. Authorities said there was no indication so far that the two suspects ever met in person.

According to an indictment obtained by CBC, Bryant was “knowingly and wilfully” conspiring with Van Rootselaar beginning in or before August 2025. That August, Bryant told Van Rootselaar the pair should “find a way to delete” their messages, and in mid-December Bryant suggested getting a VPN to avoid detection for “posting a shooting video online,” the court document reviewed by CBC said.

Police said Bryant tried on several occasions to talk Van Rootselaar out of committing the attack but did not contact law enforcement. They added that after Van Rootselaar shot and killed her mother and brother in their 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 and carry out the attack, 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 done so.

It had already been known that Van Rootselaar used ChatGPT to plan the February attack. OpenAI’s safety team flagged her internally after conversations about gun violence but did not alert police. The company reportedly closed Van Rootselaar’s account, but she started a second one that was not closed. Victims’ families and the province of British Columbia have sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, for failing to report her behavior. It was not previously known publicly that Van Rootselaar was also talking to a human about her plans.

It was not clear whether Bryant was represented by a lawyer. Bryant will be prosecuted in the US as a US citizen under an investigation by the FBI, which said it will continue working closely with Canadian authorities.