Tumbler Ridge Shooter's ChatGPT Account Had Been Flagged and Banned Months Before Attack

In June 2025, OpenAI's content safety systems flagged and subsequently banned a ChatGPT user account for what the company described as "misuses of our models in furtherance of violent activities," detected through "automated tools and human investigations" (CBC News, 2026). OpenAI determined internally that the account activity did not meet its threshold for reporting to law enforcement — specifically, an "imminent and credible risk of serious physical harm" (OpenAI, 2026). The user subsequently created a second ChatGPT account (CBC News, 2026).

On February 10, 2026, Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, carried out a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. She first killed her mother and half-brother at their home, then travelled to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she killed five children aged 12–13 and one education assistant before fatally shooting herself. More than two dozen others were injured. The following day, OpenAI representatives met with the British Columbia government in a meeting that had been scheduled weeks in advance regarding the company's interest in opening a Canadian office (The Globe and Mail, 2026). OpenAI did not disclose during this meeting that it had previously flagged and banned the shooter's account (The Globe and Mail, 2026). On February 12, OpenAI requested help connecting with the RCMP through its provincial contact; the company stated it also reached out to the FBI to relay information to the RCMP (The Globe and Mail, 2026). The company's prior knowledge of the shooter's account became public through subsequent media reporting.

British Columbia Premier David Eby stated that "from the outside, it looks like OpenAI had the opportunity to prevent this tragedy," while adding he was "trying hard not to rush to judgment" (CBC News, 2026). No formal investigation has assessed whether the information would have prevented the attack. Canada's Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon, said he was "deeply disturbed" and raised formal concerns about OpenAI's safety protocols, stating that "Canadians expect online platforms, including OpenAI, to have robust safety protocols and escalation practices in place to protect online safety and ensure law enforcement are warned about potential violence" (CBC News, 2026).

The incident highlighted a gap in Canadian AI governance: no legal framework requires AI platforms to report safety threats to Canadian authorities, and no standards exist for how AI companies should assess and act on potentially dangerous user behavior. OpenAI VP of global policy Ann O'Leary wrote to Minister Solomon, disclosing that a second account belonging to Van Rootselaar was discovered after her identity became public, and stating that under safety policies the company began developing "several months ago," the June 2025 account "would be referred to law enforcement if it were discovered today" (OpenAI, 2026). In early March 2026, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with Minister Solomon and Premier Eby, agreeing to establish direct contacts with Canadian law enforcement, include Canadian experts in OpenAI's safety office, and strengthen detection of repeat policy violators (CBC News, 2026). The company stated it now employs mental health and behavioral experts to assess high-risk cases (CBC News, 2026).

On March 9, 2026, the family of a 12-year-old survivor filed a civil lawsuit in BC Supreme Court against OpenAI. The lawsuit alleges that approximately 12 OpenAI employees identified the shooter's account content as indicating an imminent risk of serious harm and recommended notifying police, but that the recommendation was rebuffed by leadership (CBC News, 2026; Courthouse News Service). The lawsuit further alleges that ChatGPT provided "information, guidance and assistance" to the shooter in planning the attack, and that the company had "specific knowledge of the shooter's long-range planning of a mass casualty event" (CBC News, 2026; Courthouse News Service). None of these allegations have been proven in court, and OpenAI has not publicly responded to them as of this writing.