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ChatGPT-maker OpenAI considered alerting Canadian police about school shooting suspect months ago

About eight months ago, OpenAI identified and banned Jesse Van Rootselaar's ChatGPT account in June 2025 for violating its usage policy via abuse-detection tools.
The Wall Street Journal reported roughly a dozen OpenAI staffers debated alerting police after flagged gun violence scenarios, but OpenAI said its referral threshold requires an imminent and credible risk.
On Feb. 10, Van Rootselaar shot dead her mother and half-brother at home before killing five students, a teacher’s aide, and herself at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, with authorities reviewing social media content.
OpenAI said it proactively provided information to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after the attack and the RCMP confirmed digital and physical evidence is being collected for the ongoing police investigation.
Observers say the case has intensified scrutiny of how AI firms detect risky behaviour and prompted referral criteria and policy reviews, while investigators examine Roblox and gore‑dedicated websites linked to the suspect.

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Months Before an 18-Year-Old Canadian Shooter Killed Eight People, Openai Considered Notifying Authorities

Months before 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar carried out a mass shooting at a school in British Columbia, Canada, OpenAI considered notifying law enforcement about his interactions with its ChatGPT chatbot, the company said. Van Rootselaar wrote gun violence scenarios over several days last June while using ChatGPT, sources familiar with the matter said. His posts were flagged by an automated review system, which raised concerns among OpenAI e…

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ChatGPT-Maker OpenAI Knew Of Canada Shooter's 'Violent' Activities For Months

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said Friday it considered last year alerting Canadian police about the activities of a person who months later committed one of the worst school shootings in the country's history.

5 hours ago·New Delhi, India

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