British Columbia has sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in San Francisco federal court for damages resulting from a school shooting in Tumbler Ridge that killed nine people, primarily children. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI failed to warn local authorities after detecting potentially violent conversations on ChatGPT by the shooter before the February attack. Despite promises of reform, OpenAI did not follow through, and the province now seeks compensation for mental health care and other costs resulting from the incident.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Feb 10, an 18-year-old shooter named Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people and injured over two dozen others in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The province’s attorney general, Niki Sharma, announced on Monday that the government is suing OpenAI in California for its alleged role in the shooting, specifically for failing to warn police about concerning activities flagged by ChatGPT interactions involving gun violence. This lawsuit follows 37 civil claims filed previously, including 30 new suits by educators and students, with more than half being minors affected directly by the incident. The British Columbia government seeks financial compensation for emergency response and community recovery costs, as well as changes to how OpenAI handles threatening user conversations on its platform.
Written for “B.C. Sues OpenAI Over Shooting” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.
British Columbia has sued OpenAI in California, saying a mass shooting at a school in the province could have been prevented if the company had warned local law enforcement that the shooter had used ChatGPT to plan the massacre.
uncertain
shooter → sue → massacre
The lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court on Monday names OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, as defendants.
asserted
lawsuit → file → defendants
It is seeking damages to fund recovery efforts in the province after the February attack, as well as an order directing changes to the way the company handles ChatGPT conversations that could lead to violence.
uncertain
that → seek → violence
Nine people, primarily children, were killed in the school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
asserted
people → kill → Ridge
The shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, had been flagged by the company’s safety team after her conversations about gun violence, but the company did not alert police.
asserted
company → flag → police
Altman published a letter to the community saying he was “deeply sorry” OpenAI had not contacted law enforcement.
asserted
OpenAI → publish → enforcement
He promised reforms, but never followed through, despite efforts from British Columbia’s attorney general to engage, the lawsuit says.
asserted
lawsuit → promise → general
The school where the shooting took place is in the process of being demolished, and the province has been forced to absorb the costs of a replacement school, mental health care and other effects of the shooting, according to the lawsuit.
uncertain
province → take → lawsuit
A spokesperson for OpenAI, Drew Pusateri, called the Tumbler Ridge shooting an unspeakable tragedy.
asserted
spokesperson → call → shooting
“OpenAI remains committed to working collaboratively with government and law enforcement officials, and continuing to advance our ongoing safety work.
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OpenAI → remain → work
”
British Columbia’s lawsuit comes after more than 30 family members of victims and others affected by the attack filed lawsuits in California, accusing the company of opting out of a chance to prevent the shooting.
asserted
members → come → shooting
Van Rootselaar shot her mother and stepbrother at home before killing an educational assistant and five students aged 12 and 13 at her former school on 10 February, according to police.
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Rootselaar → shoot → police
Van Rootselaar, who was 18, then died by suicide.
asserted
who → die → suicide
Van Rootselaar’s interactions with ChatGPT were first flagged by the company in June 2025.
asserted
interactions → flag → June
Safety team members recommended contacting police, but Altman and other OpenAI leadership overruled them, the lawsuit says, citing OpenAI whistleblowers who spoke to the Wall Street Journal in the wake of the shooting.
asserted
who → recommend → shooting
The shooter’s account was deactivated, but she was able to get a new account and continue using the platform to plan her attack.
asserted
she → deactivate → attack
After publication of the Wall Street Journal article, the company said the account was flagged by systems that identify “misuses of our models in furtherance of violent activities”, but the issues did not meet its internal criteria for reporting to law enforcement.
asserted
issues → say → enforcement
The lawsuit comes after a series of cases against OpenAI have been filed in US state and federal courts in recent months over claims ChatGPT facilitated violence, including lawsuits related to a mass shooting at Florida State University last year.
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ChatGPT → come → University
In June, Florida became the first state to sue OpenAI over safety risks, accusing the company of misrepresenting the safety of its ChatGPT platform, which the lawsuit said had harmed children by providing information to school shooters, offering guidance on self-harm and addicting young users.
asserted
lawsuit → become → users
OpenAI, which has denied the claims, has said it trains its models to refuse requests that could “meaningfully enable violence”, and notifies law enforcement when conversations suggest “an imminent and credible risk of harm to others”.
uncertain
conversations → deny → others
The Aporia
