FBI court documents have shed light on the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, revealing that Jesse Van Rootselaar allegedly used an SKS rifle during the February attack.. The filings also implicate an American co-conspirator, James Bryant, in the planning of the killings.
The Seattle criminal complaint and the SKS connection
As reported by CTV News, a 41-page criminal complaint filed in a U.S. district court in Seattle has provided a chilling look into the coordination behind the Tumbler Ridge massacre. The documents allege that James Bryant, 30, conspired with Jesse Van Rootselaar to execute the attack. The FBI investigation suggests Van Rootselaar used an SKS rifle, a weapon that remains classified as non-restricted under current Canadian law.
The filings detail a disturbing level of premeditation, including text exchanges from December 2025 where Van Rootselaar allegedly discussed her SKS sight alignment. Furthermore, investigators allege she discussed acquiring a switch for her rifle, which likely refers to a device used to convert a firearm into a machine gun. The FBI also noted that on the morning of the shooting, Van Rootselaar sent photos to Bryant showing she was prepared for the attack.
PolySeSouvient’s data on SKS-related fatalities
Heidi Rathjen, co-founder of the gun control advocacy group PolySeSouvient,argues that the SKS is a primary tool in Canadian mass shootings. According to the report, Rathjen cites data showing that since 2014, the SKS has been involved in the deaths of eight police officers and 15 civilians.. This statistic excludes the eight victims of the February shooting in Tumbler Ridge, six of whom were children.
Rathjen, a survivor of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre, has long lobbied for stricter restrictions on the weapon. She contends that the SKS is a weapon that should not be accessible to ordinary civilians, given its frequent use in high-profile violence across Canada.
Mark Carney and the RCMP's deferred response
While the FBI's findings have surfaced in American legal proceedings, Canadian leadership has remained cautious about taking immediate legislative action. Prime Minister Mark Carney stated in Sherbrooke, Quebec, that his government would defer to the expertise of the RCMP regarding weapon classifications. He emphasized that the government is pursuing an objective assessment of how weapons are classified.
Similarly, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree noted on Parliament Hill that the RCMP has not yet completed its investigation. The minister expressed concern regarding the allegations that Van Rootselaar conspired with Bryant via the social media platform Discord. However,the RCMP has maintained that it must complete its work before any official comments on the classification of the weapons involved can be made.
Uncertainty over the origin of the three firearms
Significant gaps remain in the public's understanding of the specific weapons used in the massacre.. While the RCMP confirmed that a long gun and a modified rifle were recovered at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, the exact types of the three firearms involved have not been officially disclosed by Canadian authorities. Investigators are still working to determine the origins of two of the three weapons used in the spree.
The lack of transparency has drawn criticism from advocates like Rathjen, who questioned why certain firearms were previously confiscated from Van Rootselaar's home only to be returned. While RCMP Staff Sgt. Kris Clark cited differing privacy rights between the U.S. and Canada as a reason for limited disclosure, several media organizations are currently seeking to lift the publication ban to provide the public with more clarity.
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