British Columbia Sues OpenAI and Sam Altman Over Alleged Failure to Warn Police Before Tumbler Ridge School Shooting
Summary
British Columbia sues OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging they overruled safety staff who wanted police alerted to Jesse Van Rootselaar’s gun-violence chats before the Tumbler Ridge school shooting, and seeks damages plus mandatory changes to violent-threat handling.
Key Points
- British Columbia sues OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging ChatGPT-enabled Tumbler Ridge school shooting could have been prevented if the company had warned police.
- The San Francisco federal lawsuit seeks damages for a replacement school, mental-health care and recovery efforts, plus an order requiring changes to how OpenAI handles potentially violent ChatGPT conversations.
- OpenAI safety staff flag Jesse Van Rootselaar's gun-violence chats in June 2025 and recommend contacting police, but the lawsuit says Altman and other leaders overrule them; she later opens a new account and continues planning the attack.