Canada summons OpenAI executives on shooting suspect’s ChatGPT use
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A woman visits a growing makeshift memorial four days after the mass shooting in the town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, on Feb 14, 2026.
PHOTO: REUTERS
OTTAWA – Canada summoned OpenAI executives after the company debated referring a ChatGPT user to police but ultimately didn’t – months before the teenager became the sole suspect in a mass shooting
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, was named by police as the suspected killer of six children and two adults in the remote town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, in one of Canada’s worst-ever mass shootings. Van Rootselaar is also believed to have died by suicide following the attack earlier in February.
OpenAI said on Feb 20 that Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account was flagged in June 2025 by systems that scan for misuse, including potential violent activity.
The company considered referring the account to law enforcement at the time, but found no credible or imminent threat and determined it didn’t meet the threshold. The account was subsequently banned.
The artificial intelligence giant’s senior safety executives will travel from the US to meet AI Minister Evan Solomon in Ottawa on Feb 24, he said at a news conference on Feb 23, after his team met with company representatives a day earlier.
Mr Solomon said media reports on OpenAI’s internal deliberations were “deeply disturbing,” adding the reports suggested the company “did not contact law enforcement in a timely manner.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported OpenAI’s identification of Van Rootselaar, citing anonymous sources who said the alleged killer “described scenarios involving gun violence” over several days.
That triggered an internal debate among roughly a dozen staffers, some of whom urged contacting police, the report said.
Mr Solomon pointed to legislation in development including on privacy and so-called online harms, and said he’s working closely with officials in the justice, public safety and culture departments, as well as the province of BC.
“We are making sure that all options are on the table to make sure that Canadians are kept safe,” he said, adding “we will see” what OpenAI says about its protocols and escalation methodology.
“Our job and our duty is to make sure Canadians are protected.” BLOOMBERG
