The posts raised alarms, but OpenAI did not notify law enforcement.
Feb 21, 2026, 3:22 PM UTC
The suspect in the mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Jesse Van Rootselaar, had been raising alarms among OpenAI employees months prior. In June, Jesse’s conversations with ChatGPT, which included descriptions of gun violence, triggered the chatbot’s automated review system. Several employees expressed concerns that her posts could lead to real-world violence and urged company leaders to contact authorities, but they ultimately decided against it.
According to the Wall Street Journal, OpenAI leaders concluded that Rootselaar’s posts did not present a “credible and imminent risk of serious physical harm to others.” Although the company banned Rootselaar’s account, no further action was taken. We contacted OpenAI to inquire about who made that decision and the rationale behind it and will update if we receive a response.
In hindsight, not alerting law enforcement seems misguided, as on February 10th, nine people were killed and 27 injured, including Rootselaar, in the deadliest mass shooting in Canada since 2020. Rootselaar was found dead at the scene of the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, where most of the tragedy occurred.