Before Mass Shooting, OpenAI Flagged Teen's Activity

OpenAI is facing questions over whether it missed a warning sign months before a deadly school shooting in a small town in British Columbia. In June, employees at the ChatGPT maker debated whether to alert Canadian police about user messages from Jesse Van Rootselaar that described gun violence scenarios over several days, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The posts had been flagged by an automated system, and roughly a dozen staffers argued internally over whether they suggested a real-world threat, the Journal's sources say. Some pushed to contact authorities, but company leaders decided against it, later saying the material did not meet their threshold of a "credible and imminent" danger that would justify breaking user privacy. Van Rootselaar's account was banned instead.

• On Feb. 10, the 18-year-old trans woman was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted injury at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School after a mass shooting that left eight people dead and at least 25 wounded, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
• After learning of the attack, OpenAI contacted the RCMP and is now cooperating with the investigation. "Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy," the company said in a statement. The company said Van Rootselaar's activity in June 2025 didn't meet the "higher threshold required" for a referral to law enforcement, the CBC reports. OpenAI said it is reviewing the case to see whether improvements to its referral system can be made.

• Investigators are now combing through Van Rootselaar's online life, which includes a Roblox game simulating a mass shooting, social media posts about firing weapons at a shooting range, 3D-printing ammunition, and engaging with gun-enthusiast content. Police say she was already known to local officers, who had previously responded to mental-health calls and temporarily removed firearms from her residence.
• British Columbia Premier David Ely said reports that OpenAI had information of Van Rootselaar before the shooting are "profoundly disturbing," the CBC reports. He said police are seeking preservation orders for evidence held by social media and AI companies. "We will use all powers of government to ensure that police have the tools they need to investigate every aspect of this horrific tragedy," Ely said.