Sam Altman apologizes to Tumbler Ridge for not reporting shooter's banned ChatGPT account to police
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a formal apology to the community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, acknowledging his company's failure to alert law enforcement about a banned ChatGPT user who later carried out a mass shooting. In a letter dated Thursday, Altman wrote that he was "deeply sorry" the company did not flag the account to police, despite having detected problematic activity months before the tragedy occurred.
The shooter, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, killed eight people and injured dozens of others in January 2026 in the small British Columbia community. According to reporting, Van Rootselaar's ChatGPT account had been banned in June 2025—approximately eight months prior to the shooting—after automated abuse detection tools and human investigators identified potential misuse of the platform for violent activities. OpenAI determined at the time that the account did not meet its threshold for law enforcement referral, as it did not pose what the company considered an imminent and credible risk of serious physical harm to others. Van Rootselaar died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the attack.
In his letter, Altman addressed the community's pain directly, writing that "the pain your community has endured is unimaginable" and expressing his deepest condolences. He acknowledged OpenAI's responsibility while emphasizing that the company is now committed to preventative efforts moving forward. According to reporting, Altman promised to work with all levels of government to ensure "something like this never happens again." OpenAI has also stated that it proactively reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with information following the shooting and continues to support their investigation.
The apology comes amid growing scrutiny of AI companies' content moderation practices. British Columbia Premier David Eby characterized Altman's letter as "necessary" but "grossly insufficient," signaling that the community and officials view the response as inadequate given the circumstances. Additionally, the incident has prompted broader concerns about AI safety protocols, with the Florida Attorney General announcing a criminal investigation into OpenAI following a separate campus shooting at Florida State University in April 2025 involving a student who had exchanged messages with ChatGPT.