OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Apologizes for Failing to Alert Police About Canadian School Shooter’s ChatGPT Account

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a formal apology to the community of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia for failing to alert law enforcement about concerning online activity by the 18-year-old shooter before the February mass killing that left eight people dead.

In a letter shared on social media by British Columbia Premier David Eby, Altman expressed deep condolences to the community affected by the tragedy. “The pain your community has endured is unimaginable,” he wrote. “I have been thinking of you often over the past few months.”

Altman stated that the shooter, identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, had a ChatGPT account that was banned in June 2025 — approximately eight months before the shooting on February 10, 2026. “I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was banned in June,” Altman said in the letter dated Thursday.

OpenAI confirmed that Van Rootselaar’s account had been flagged by automated abuse detection tools and human investigators for potential misuse related to violent activities. The account was subsequently banned for violating OpenAI’s usage policies.

However, OpenAI said it had weighed whether to refer the account to law enforcement but determined at the time that it did not meet the threshold for an imminent and credible risk of serious physical harm to others. The company stated that the threshold for legal referral was not met.

Following the shooting, OpenAI told CBS News that it had proactively reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with information on the individual and their use of ChatGPT and pledged continued support for the investigation.

The incident resulted in eight fatalities: six people were fatally shot at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, while the shooter’s mother and 11-year-old brother were killed at a nearby residence. Van Rootselaar died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Twenty-five others were injured in the attack.

Altman emphasized that while words could never be enough, he believed an apology was necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss suffered by the community.