British Columbia filed a lawsuit in San Francisco federal court against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, holding the company responsible for a mass shooting at a school in Tumbler Ridge that resulted in nine deaths. The suit contends that the tragedy could have been prevented had OpenAI notified local law enforcement that the shooter had used ChatGPT to plan the attack.
The incident occurred on 10 February when 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar opened fire at her former school, killing an educational assistant and five students aged 12 and 13, after first shooting her mother and stepbrother at home. Van Rootselaar then died by suicide. According to the lawsuit, OpenAI’s safety team had flagged the shooter’s conversations about gun violence as early as June 2025 and recommended contacting police, but company leadership, including Altman, rejected this recommendation. The shooter’s account was subsequently deactivated, but she created a new account and continued using the platform to plan her attack.
The provincial government is seeking damages to fund recovery efforts and recovery work in the affected community. The lawsuit also requests court-ordered changes to how OpenAI handles ChatGPT conversations that could facilitate violence. Attorney General Niki Sharma stated that the company has failed to take meaningful accountability for the shooting and must strengthen its safeguards and increase transparency about its products. The province has incurred significant costs, including demolition of the school building, construction of a replacement facility, and mental health services for survivors and the community.
This case adds to mounting legal challenges against OpenAI regarding AI safety and violence prevention. More than 30 family members of victims and others affected by the Tumbler Ridge shooting have filed separate lawsuits in California. The company faces additional litigation related to other incidents, including a Florida State University shooting. Sam Altman published an apology letter in April acknowledging that OpenAI should have contacted law enforcement, though the lawsuit alleges the promised reforms were never implemented. OpenAI has stated it remains committed to safety work and collaboration with government authorities.
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