Federal Conservatives are renewing calls, and BC Conservatives are joining the chorus calling for a national inquiry into the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting after the U.S. Department of Justice laid new charges against a trans accomplice to the mass casualty event, which saw a trans shooter take the lives of eight Tumbler Ridge residents (most of whom were children).
In a statement released on Tuesday, BC Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson and MLA Larry Neufeld called for a complete inquiry into the school shooting that took place in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., in February after new details of the case revealed the shooter was seemingly groomed by a trans-identifying male from the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed Tuesday that it had arrested James Cody Bryant, a 30-year-old trans-identifying male, for “conspiracy to murder in a foreign country” after chat logs between Jesse Strang, the shooter, and Bryant show that Bryant assisted the killer, including by encouraging, providing “tactical support” and sending money to the killer, with the two discussing the shootings over a six-month period of time.
“The news that a 30-year-old from Washington State has been arrested in connection with the mass murder in Tumbler Ridge is shocking. Tumbler Ridge is a small, close-knit community that continues to mourn the lives lost in this horrific tragedy,” Doerkson and Neufeld said in a joint statement.
“These developments reinforce the need for a full public inquiry under British Columbia’s Public Inquiry Act. The families, survivors and Tumbler Ridge community deserve to know the complete truth behind this tragedy, and a public inquiry, with the power to compel witnesses, documents and evidence, is the best way to uncover the full story behind this tragedy.”
The new evidence reveals that the shooter, identified by authorities as “Jesse Van Rootselaar,” said that others were aware of his plans and not just Bryant.
“We want to thank the RCMP and U.S. law enforcement for their continued efforts to uncover the full situation behind the shooting in February and bring justice to the families, victims and community,” the statement reads.
“While nothing can fully heal the pain caused by this tragedy, it is essential that anyone involved be held accountable and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Conservative MP Bob Zimmer also repeated calls from the federal Conservative Party for a full national inquiry into the events surrounding the attack, which killed eight and left two others seriously wounded.
Zimmer and Conservative public safety critic Frank Caputo called on the government to launch a full independent public inquiry into the mass shooting back in March.
Conservatives say the inquiry must investigate the cause, context and circumstances that led to the shooting, including the shooter’s access to firearms, why firearms were returned to the shooter’s home, and the prior interactions and the relationship of the shooter with police and social services.
They also want to fully analyze the police response and the role AI played in counselling the killer.
With the new evidence revealed by the affidavit, more questions are raised about the role of Discord, the app used by the killer and alleged accomplice to communicate, and Twitch, the streaming platform the killer attempted to use but failed to operate to livestream the brutal killings of mostly children aged 12-13 at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
