British Columbia has sued OpenAI in California, alleging that a mass shooting at a school in the province could have been prevented. The lawsuit claims OpenAI failed to warn local law enforcement that the shooter had used ChatGPT to plan the attack.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco federal court on Monday, names OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, as defendants. It seeks damages to fund recovery efforts in the province following the February attack, and an order directing changes to how the company handles ChatGPT conversations that could lead to violence.
Nine people, primarily children, were killed in the school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Police stated that the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, shot her mother and stepbrother at home before killing an educational assistant and five students aged 12 and 13 at her former school on 10 February. Van Rootselaar, who was 18, then died by suicide.
According to the lawsuit, Van Rootselaar's interactions with ChatGPT were flagged by the company in June 2025. Safety team members reportedly recommended contacting police, but Altman and other OpenAI leadership overruled them, citing OpenAI whistleblowers who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. The shooter's account was deactivated, but she was able to get a new account and continue using the platform to plan her attack.
A spokesperson for OpenAI, Drew Pusateri, called the Tumbler Ridge shooting an unspeakable tragedy and stated that OpenAI remains committed to working collaboratively with government and law enforcement officials, and continuing to advance its ongoing safety work.