The province says OpenAI identified concerning conversations linked to the 18-year-old shooter but did not alert law enforcement before the attack that killed eight people #
British Columbia has sued OpenAI and chief executive Sam Altman in California, alleging the company failed to alert law enforcement after its safety systems flagged concerning ChatGPT activity linked to the teenager who later carried out the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting.
The civil action, filed on 21 September in federal court in San Francisco, argues the February attack could have been prevented if authorities had been warned. The province is seeking damages tied to recovery costs and a court order requiring changes to how OpenAI handles conversations that may signal a risk of violence.
The allegations have not been tested in court.
The 10 February attack left eight victims dead, including six children, while the 18-year-old shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, also died. More than two dozen others were injured, including two victims who were airlifted in serious condition.
B.C. Says OpenAI Had Warning Signs Months Earlier #
British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma said the province is pursuing OpenAI over what she described as its 'failure to notify law enforcement of threats made on its platform' before the shooting.
According to the lawsuit, Van Rootselaar's interactions with ChatGPT were first flagged by OpenAI in June 2025 after conversations involving gun violence triggered an internal safety review. The complaint alleges members of OpenAI's safety team recommended contacting police, but company leadership decided not to do so.
OpenAI has acknowledged banning the account for violating its policies but said that, based on the information available at the time, it did not identify credible and imminent planning that met its threshold for referral to law enforcement.
The lawsuit alleges Van Rootselaar later obtained another account and continued using ChatGPT before the attack.
Sharma said she has not personally read the shooter's conversations with the chatbot and said British Columbia has asked OpenAI to disclose them. The full chat history has not been made public.
OpenAI Says It Has Strengthened Safeguards #
Altman apologised to the Tumbler Ridge community in April for OpenAI's decision not to alert police about the banned account, saying he was 'deeply sorry'.
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri called the shooting an 'unspeakable tragedy' and said the company remains committed to working with governments and law enforcement while continuing to improve its safety systems.
The company says it trains its models to refuse requests that could meaningfully enable violence and contacts law enforcement when conversations indicate an imminent and credible risk to others.
British Columbia's lawsuit also seeks compensation for costs linked to the aftermath, including a replacement school, mental health services and other community recovery measures.
Dozens of Lawsuits Already Target OpenAI #
The provincial case joins a growing number of lawsuits arising from the Tumbler Ridge shooting.
Seven claims were filed in April by victims' relatives and a survivor. Another 30 lawsuits followed in September from students, educators and others affected by the attack, bringing the total number of related private claims to 37.
Those cases make similar allegations about OpenAI's handling of Van Rootselaar's account and seek damages as well as safety changes. OpenAI and Altman have not admitted liability, and the claims remain before the courts.
Sharma has argued that the case raises a wider question about what obligations AI companies should have when their systems detect potentially credible threats of serious violence.
That question will now be tested in a US federal court alongside the province's central claim: that OpenAI had information that should have triggered a warning before one of British Columbia's deadliest mass shootings.
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