OpenAI banned a ChatGPT account belonging to the suspect in the deadly Tumbler Ridge school shooting more than six months before the February 12 attack, the company has confirmed.
Jesse Van Rootselaar's account was identified in June 2025 through the company's abuse and enforcement detection systems, which monitor for misuse of AI models in furtherance of violent activities, OpenAI said in a statement.
However, the company did not alert authorities at the time, stating the account's usage did not meet its threshold for a "credible or imminent plan for serious physical harm to others."
Following the attack that killed eight people and injured 27 at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, OpenAI said it "proactively" contacted Canadian police with information about the suspect.
According to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story, about a dozen OpenAI staff debated whether to act on Van Rootselaar's posts. Some employees identified the usage as indicating real-world violence and urged leadership to alert authorities, but company leaders decided against it.
OpenAI said it trains ChatGPT to discourage imminent real-world harm when it identifies dangerous situations and to refuse assistance for illegal activities. The company maintains a policy of alerting authorities only in cases of imminent risk, as broader alerts could cause unintended harm.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been contacted for comment. Van Rootselaar was found dead at the school from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Among the victims were the suspect's mother and half-brother, found dead at a local residence. The motive remains unknown.
