Altman admits OpenAI did not report the shooter’s ChatGPT account to law enforcement and apologizes

AIMPACT message, April 25 (UTC+8): OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apologized for the Tumbler Ridge shooting incident in Canada, saying he failed to report the shooter’s ChatGPT account to law enforcement in time. On February 10 this year, a shooting took place in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, in which 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar killed 8 people. In the letter, Altman disclosed that Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account was banned in June 2025, about 8 months after the shooting. At the time, OpenAI determined that the account did not constitute an imminent threat of personal harm and therefore did not meet the threshold for reporting to law enforcement. After the incident, OpenAI proactively contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and provided relevant information.

In addition, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced this week that he is launching a criminal investigation into OpenAI involving the April 2025 campus shooting at Florida State University, which resulted in 2 deaths and several injuries. Uthmeier said ChatGPT provided the suspect with “important advice,” and his office has issued a subpoena to OpenAI. OpenAI said it has proactively shared information about the accounts involved with law enforcement.