Canadian province prepares lawsuit against OpenAI after school mass shooting

British Columbia is preparing to sue OpenAI, alleging the company failed to report violent activity on ChatGPT by Jesse Van Rootselaar. Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old transgender woman, committed a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, in February. OpenAI had previously banned an account linked to her in June 2025, months before the incident, during which she killed eight people at her home and a school. Canadian families affected by the shooting have already initiated legal action against OpenAI in a California court.

British Columbia is suing OpenAI, alleging the company failed to alert authorities about violent ChatGPT prompts linked to the perpetrator of the February Tumbler Ridge mass shooting. Attorney General Niki Sharma announced that legal teams in British Columbia and California have been hired to hold OpenAI accountable for not notifying law enforcement about flagged threats made by the suspect on ChatGPT months before the attack. The lawsuit stems from the February 10 incident where an 18-year-old allegedly killed his mother and half-brother before opening fire at a school, resulting in six deaths and 27 injuries. Sharma stated that internal OpenAI reports indicated safety teams flagged the violent prompts, but company leadership did not notify police. The province believes opportunities to prevent harm were missed.