British Columbia Sues OpenAI Over ChatGPT-Assisted Mass Shooting

Legal Claims and Financial Demands From British Columbia

The Canadian province is seeking damages to cover the extreme costs of disaster response, mental health care, and the demolition of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which was torn down after the attack. According to the lawsuit, OpenAI and Sam Altman owe the remote mining community significantly more than an apology, arguing that the company must finance whatever it takes for Tumbler Ridge to rebuild and recover. The lawsuit being filed raises serious questions about the responsibilities of technology companies when they become aware of credible threats of serious violence, and the actions that should be taken to help protect people and ensure public safety, Niki Sharma, Attorney General of British Columbia, said in a statement on Monday. Sharma added that this case highlights the urgent need for strong national safeguards for artificial intelligence technologies and online platforms.

Internal Warnings and Safety Team Flags

Court filings reveal that the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, had been flagged by OpenAI’s safety team in June 2025 following conversations concerning gun violence. While safety team members recommended alerting the police, OpenAI leadership overruled them, according to whistleblowers who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. Although the initial account was deactivated, Van Rootselaar subsequently opened a new account and continued using ChatGPT to plan the attack. Following the publication of the whistleblower reports, OpenAI acknowledged that its systems flagged the activity as a misuse of models furthering violent activities. However, the company maintained that the interactions did not meet its internal thresholds for notifying law enforcement. Following the February 10, 2026 massacre—in which Van Rootselaar shot her mother and stepbrother at home before killing an educational assistant and five students aged 12 to 13 at her former school—Sam Altman published a letter expressing deep sorrow that the company failed to contact police.

Broader Legal Scrutiny and Corporate Response

The British Columbia action follows a separate lawsuit filed in June 2026 by Florida, making it the first U.S. state to sue OpenAI over safety risks related to child safety and self-harm guidance. Families of the victims killed in Tumbler Ridge have also filed legal claims against the AI firm. Drew Pusateri, a spokesperson for OpenAI, described the Tumbler Ridge shooting as an unspeakable tragedy. OpenAI remains committed to working collaboratively with government and law enforcement officials, and continuing to advance our ongoing safety work, Pusateri said. OpenAI has consistently denied claims of negligence, asserting that its models are trained to refuse requests that enable violence and to notify authorities when conversations present an imminent and credible risk of harm.