OpenAI did not alert police to mass shooting suspect's ChatGPT account
A mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia in January 2026 killed eight people and injured nearly 30 others. The shooter had used ChatGPT and was banned from the platform in June 2025 for problematic content, but OpenAI did not report the account to police. CEO Sam Altman apologised for the failure to alert authorities.
What happened
An 18-year-old used ChatGPT and in June was banned from the platform for problematic usage, according to OpenAI.
In January 2026, the same person carried out a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, killing eight people and injuring nearly 30 others.
OpenAI determined its ban did not meet its threshold of a credible or imminent plan for serious physical harm, so the company did not alert law enforcement to the account.
Reported impact
The shooting was described as one of British Columbia's deadliest mass shootings.
A number of those murdered were young children at a secondary school.
Governance controls
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apologised on 24 April 2026 in a letter to the community, stating he was "deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was banned in June".
Altman said the company held off on a public apology to respect the community's grieving process.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.