British Columbia sues OpenAI and Sam Altman after ChatGPT flagged school shooter months before she killed eight
From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026 · last updated 23 September 2026.
British Columbia has taken OpenAI and chief executive Sam Altman to US federal court in California after the company's safety team detected ChatGPT conversations in which 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar spoke about gun violence months before she carried out an attack that left eight people dead in Tumbler Ridge, Canada — yet never alerted police. The province is pursuing damages to offset recovery costs and a court order compelling the company to overhaul how it handles violent threats. In February, Van Rootselaar fatally shot an educational assistant and five children aged 12 to 13 at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, having first murdered her mother and stepbrother at their home; she subsequently died by suicide.
After OpenAI shut down Van Rootselaar's account, she opened a new one and continued using the platform without interruption.
Attorney General Niki Sharma says OpenAI has refused to hand over the shooter's chat logs, demanding: 'We should all be asking them: Why?'
Sam Altman apologised in April, promising reforms — but the province says he never followed through despite repeated attempts to engage.