Canadian province sues OpenAI for failing to report school shooter risk

The Canadian province of British Columbia has sued OpenAI in California, accusing the AI company of failing to report risk information to police before one of Canada's worst mass shootings.

On February 10, a shooting in Tumbler Ridge left five students and one teacher dead, along with the teen shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar's mother and half-brother. Van Rootselaar then killed himself. Investigators found he had used ChatGPT before the attack. OpenAI flagged and banned his account in 2025 over suspicious activity but did not warn police.

BC Attorney General Niki Sharma said the lawsuit raises serious questions about what tech companies should do when they become aware of credible threats of serious violence. She has written to federal ministers urging changes to Canada's Criminal Code to hold humans accountable for AI behavior.

OpenAI said in February that under revised rules it should have reported the situation to police. CEO Sam Altman apologized in an open letter in April for the company's failure to notify law enforcement in time.