Canada summons OpenAI senior staff over Tumbler Ridge shooting

Canadian officials say they are seeking "better understanding" after learning the suspected shooter's ChatGPT account was banned months before the attack.

Canada’s artificial intelligence minister says he has summoned representatives from the technology company OpenAI after the company declined to alert police after suspending the account of a user who became the perpetrator of one of the country’s worst-ever school shootings. Evan Solomon says he is “deeply disturbed” by reports that the company, which operates the popular ChatGPT chatbot, suspended the account of Jesse Van Rootselaar over the “furtherance of violent activities” in June 2025 but did not reach out to Canadian law enforcement.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, was named by police as the suspected killer of six children and two adults in the remote town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, in one of Canada’s worst-ever mass shootings. Van Rootselaar is also believed to have died by suicide following the attack earlier this month. OpenAI said Friday that Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account was flagged in June 2025 by systems that scan for misuse, including potential violent activity. The company considered referring the account to law enforcement at the time, but found no credible or imminent threat and determined it didn’t meet the threshold. The account was subsequently banned.

Canada summoned OpenAI's senior leadership to Ottawa to explain their decision not to report suspicious online activity by an individual who later committed a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge.

In response to a tragic school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, that left eight people dead, representatives from OpenAI have been summoned to Ottawa to explain their safety protocols. The shooter, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, was previously identified by OpenAI for promoting violent activities and had their ChatGPT account banned in June. However, the company did not alert Canadian authorities at the time, believing the activity did not pose an imminent, credible threat. This delayed response has sparked outrage from Canadian officials, with AI Minister Evan Solomon demanding accountability from OpenAI and British Columbia Premier David Eby expressing anger that the tragedy might have been preventable.