OpenAI-led Sam Altman said on Friday (local time) that he had previously considered alerting Canadian police in 2025 about the activities of Jesse Van Rootselaar, the young man behind one of the worst shootings in Canadian history, AP reported.
In June 2025, OpenAI reported that it had identified Jesse Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account through exploit detection efforts for “continuing violent activities”.
The Sam Altman-led technology company said it considered referring the 18-year-old’s account to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), but decided against it because the account’s activity did not meet the company’s threshold for referral to law enforcement. However, he banned Rootselaar’s account for violating the company’s usage policy.
ChatGPT’s creator said it only refers users to law enforcement when there is an imminent and credible risk of serious physical harm to others. The company added that it found no evidence of credible or immediate planning in this case. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the OpenAI reveal.
The company also added that after employees learned of the school shooting, they shared information with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police about Rootselaar and their use of ChatGPT.
The AP said, citing an OpenAI spokesperson: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy. We proactively reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with information about the individual and their use of ChatGPT and will continue to support their investigation.”
School shootings in Canada
On February 10, Rootselaar, an 18-year-old high school dropout, opened fire at a school in British Columbia, Canada, killing at least six people and injuring at least 25. Before the trans-teen went on a killing spree, they first carried out a horrific attack at their family home, killing their 39-year-old mother and half-brother, 11. The gunman later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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Among those killed inside the school were a 39-year-old teacher and five students, including three 12-year-old girls and two boys aged 13 and 12.
Following the attack, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said they were unaware of a motive for the attack; however, he claimed the teenager had mental health issues. McDonald also added that the suspect was already known to law enforcement, noting that officers had visited the family’s home several times over the years due to concerns about their mental health.
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Two days after the attack, chilling pictures of Rootselaar appeared on the internet, showing him holding a rifle. Rootselaar was born biologically male, transitioned to female almost six years ago, and later identified as female. They later left the school, almost two years after the transition.
According to the Deputy Commissioner, the juvenile previously had an arms license which had expired and the police seized the weapons from him at their residence, which were later returned. Rootselaar has been detained by police more than once in the past, under the provincial Mental Health Act for assessment.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have begun to infiltrate people’s lives. Although many thought that this tool could help them, there are more and more cases of children using the tools without supervision, which later led to drastic consequences.