OpenAI flagged Canadian school shooter months before massacre but did not alert police

South China Morning PostEN 2 min read 100% complete by Associated PressFebruary 21, 2026 at 03:51 AM

AI Summary

short article 2 min

OpenAI identified the account of Jesse Van Rootselaar in June 2023 for violating its usage policy due to concerns about violent activities. Van Rootselaar was later identified as the shooter in the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School shooting in British Columbia, Canada, which resulted in eight deaths. OpenAI considered alerting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) about the account but decided against it, as the activity did not meet the company's threshold for imminent and credible risk of serious physical harm. The account was banned in June 2023. Following the shooting, OpenAI contacted the RCMP with information about Van Rootselaar's use of ChatGPT and offered support for the investigation.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

The Wall Street Journal 40% ChatGPT ×260% Tumbler Ridge Secondary School 70% Canada ×270% British Columbia ×270% Royal Canadian Mounted Police ×380% OpenAI ×790% Jesse Van Rootselaar ×295%

Keywords

school shooting 100% openai 100% chatgpt 90% law enforcement 70% violent activities 60% threat detection 60% royal canadian mounted police 50% risk assessment 50% usage policy 40%