OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued an apology for the company’s oversight in not notifying law enforcement about warning signs related to a teenager involved in a recent tragic mass shooting in Canada. The incident, carried out by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, resulted in the deaths of her mother, half-brother, five children, and a teacher at a school in British Columbia. Altman expressed deep regret for not informing authorities after identifying concerning behavior linked to the attacker.
Altman, in a letter shared by local news sources, admitted that OpenAI should have alerted authorities upon flagging the attacker’s account. The company had internally flagged Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account in June 2025 for misuse related to violent activities, leading to its suspension. However, OpenAI did not consider the activity an immediate threat, hence did not report it to law enforcement at the time.
Following the tragic incident, where the attacker later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, at least 25 individuals sustained injuries in what Canadian authorities termed as one of the nation’s worst mass casualty events. OpenAI has pledged to review its protocols and collaborate more closely with governments to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Altman emphasized the company’s commitment to working with authorities to avert such tragedies.
A lawsuit filed by a victim’s family alleged that the teenager had used ChatGPT to discuss violent scenarios before the attack. Despite some OpenAI employees flagging the conversations as concerning, the company did not notify law enforcement, citing the absence of an imminent threat. The lawsuit claimed that the attacker created a new account after the initial one was suspended, allowing similar discussions to persist. OpenAI reportedly contacted Canadian authorities post the shooting incident.
