Artificial Intelligence

Families Sue OpenAI Over British Columbia Mass Shooting

Is OpenAI complicit in the Tumbler Ridge shooting or did its safety systems do exactly what they were designed to do?

Published APR 30

Families Sue OpenAI Over British Columbia Mass Shooting

Story

Above: A vigil in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia on Feb. 13. Image credit: Paige Taylor White/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

Seven families affected by the Feb. 10 mass shooting in Canada's Tumbler Ridge town are suing OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in a San Francisco court for wrongful death, negligence and product liability. The suits were filed Wednesday.
The Globe and Mail
National Post
Toronto Star
OpenAI's automated systems flagged the shooter's ChatGPT account in June 2025 for violent content — although safety team members recommended notifying the police, they were overruled.
CBS News
guardian
The Globe and Mail
The shooter, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, killed eight people on Feb. 10 before dying of a self-inflicted wound. Victims included five students, an education assistant and two family members.
NPR
CBC
New York Post
The plaintiffs chose to file in California because damages for pain and suffering in Canada are capped at roughly $470,000, whil the largest punitive award in Canadian history was $1.5 million.
Global News
The Epoch Times
CBC
Altman issued a written apology to the Tumbler Ridge community, saying he was "deeply sorry" that OpenAI did not alert law enforcement. One victim's mother publicly rejected the apology.
New York Post
Toronto Star
Plaintiffs' attorney Jay Edelson said the jury award sought would likely exceed US$1 billion. OpenAI reached an $852 billion valuation in March, which may approach $1 trillion by the time a trial commences in this case.
Al Jazeera
Financial Post

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

OpenAI knew a mass shooter was planning violence months before she killed seven people in Tumbler Ridge, and chose to do nothing but ban her account. ChatGPT didn't just fail to stop her — it acted as a tactical partner, helping dangerous individuals move from violent thoughts to action in minutes. Putting profit and user growth ahead of public safety makes AI companies complicit in the harm their platforms enable.

Mother Jones

DogeDesigner on X

Narrative B

OpenAI's safety systems did exactly what they were designed to do — automated tools flagged the Tumbler Ridge shooter's account and human reviewers assessed the risk, ultimately banning her account. The failure wasn't the technology; it was a judgment call about an ambiguous threat threshold, which OpenAI has since revised. Blaming the platform ignores that multiple institutions, including law enforcement and mental health services, also missed clear warning signs.