The tech firm suspended the mass shooter’s Chaturbate account before the attacks, but did not notify law enforcement.
Published on 25 April 2026
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has apologized over his company’s failure to warn authorities about the concerning online activities of the teen who carried out one of Canada’s worst mass shootings.
Jesse Van Rutselaar, 18, opened fire in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia on February 10, killing eight people.
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The victims included Rutselaar’s mother and half-brother and five students from the remote community’s secondary school.
Rutselaar, who was born male but identified as female, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
OpenAI said after the attacks that Rootseller’s ChatGPT account was flagged internally last June for abuse in order to “further violent activities”, resulting in it being suspended.
The San Francisco-based AI company said at the time that it had not notified authorities because Rootseller’s use of the chatbot did not meet the threshold of posing a credible or imminent threat of harm to others.
In a letter shared Friday by the Tumblr Ridgelines news site and British Columbia Premier David Eby, Altman acknowledged that OpenAI should have alerted law enforcement about Rootseller’s suspension.
“I deeply regret that we did not alert law enforcement about the account being banned in June. While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreparable harm caused to your community,” Altman wrote.
“I reaffirm the commitment we have made to the mayor and premier to find ways to prevent tragedies like this in the future,” Altman said.
“Moving forward, our focus will be on working with all levels of government to help ensure this never happens again.”
Altman’s statement of regret comes after AB said last month that the tech CEO had agreed to apologize to the Tumblr Ridge community over OpenAI’s failure to flag Rootseller as a threat.
In his letter, Altman said Abbey and Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka had conveyed the “anger, sadness and concern” being felt in the community in their discussions.
Altman wrote, “We agreed that a public apology was necessary, but also needed time to respect the community as you grieve. I share this letter with the understanding that everyone grieves in their own way and in their own time.”
“I want to express my deepest condolences to the entire community. No one should have to suffer a tragedy like this. I can’t think of anything worse than losing a child in this world.”
