Employees at OpenAI reportedly flagged violent, firearm-related interactions between ChatGPT and Jesse Van Rootselaar months before the Tumbler Ridge shooting, according to the Wall Street Journal. About a dozen staffers reviewed the exchanges, which were first detected by an automated system, but OpenAI says it did not notify police because the content did not meet its imminent-threat threshold. Van Rootselaar killed family members and then five students and a teacher on Feb. 10; the company later banned the account in June 2025 and provided information to the RCMP after the attack.
Report: OpenAI Staff Flagged Troubling ChatGPT Exchanges Before Tumbler Ridge Shooting — Police Were Not Alerted
OpenAI didn't contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter's concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
A Wall Street Journal report says that roughly a dozen OpenAI employees flagged troubling interactions between ChatGPT and Jesse Van Rootselaar months before he carried out the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, but the company did not notify law enforcement at the time.
People bring flowers to a memorial after one of Canada's deadliest mass shootings in history earlier this month.(Getty Images)
The exchanges were reportedly first detected by an automated review system and included violent, firearm-related scenarios that persisted over several days. Employees who reviewed the content expressed concern and some urged leadership to contact police. OpenAI says it only alerts authorities when there is an imminent, real-world threat and determined the interactions did not meet that threshold.
Police tape surrounds the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and other buildings in Tumbler Ridge, Vancouver, British Columbia, on Wednesday, a day after a mass shooting there.
What Happened
On Feb. 10, an 18-year-old identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar fatally shot his mother and step-brother at their home before traveling to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where he killed five students and a teacher and then died by suicide at the scene. Authorities reported about 25 additional injuries. Police had previously visited Van Rootselaar’s home on multiple occasions in connection with mental-health concerns and other incidents.
A screengrab from a video shows students exiting the Tumbler Ridge school after deadly shootings, in British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
Company Response and Timeline
An OpenAI spokesperson told reporters the company banned the account in June 2025 for violating usage policies but at the time did not believe the activity warranted contacting law enforcement. The spokesperson said OpenAI must balance user safety and privacy and warned that overly frequent police referrals can cause unintended harm.
Following the attack, OpenAI said it proactively contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and is providing information about the user’s interactions with ChatGPT to support the investigation. The company also noted that its chatbot is designed to discourage real-world harm when it recognizes dangerous content.
Context And Reporting
Other outlets have reported additional details about Van Rootselaar’s online activity and social-media posts, including claims of an obsession with death and images with firearms; these reports are attributed to sources such as the New York Post. The Wall Street Journal and Fox News Digital are the primary sources for the account-flagging and OpenAI response described here.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy,” OpenAI said in a statement. “We proactively reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with information on the individual and their use of ChatGPT, and we’ll continue to support their investigation.”
This episode has prompted renewed questions about how AI companies should balance user privacy with public-safety considerations and when platforms should escalate concerning content to authorities.
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