OpenAI CEO apologizes to the Tumbler Ridge community

In a letter to residents of Tumbler Ridge, Canada, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he was “deeply sorry” that his company failed to alert law enforcement about the suspect in a recent mass shooting.

After police identified 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar as the suspected shooter who allegedly killed eight people, the Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI had flagged and banned Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account in June 2025 for describing scenarios involving gun violence. Company employees discussed alerting the police, but ultimately decided against it, and eventually contacted Canadian authorities after the shooting.

OpenAI has since said it is working to improve safety protocols, for example by establishing more flexible criteria for determining when accounts are referred to authorities, and by establishing direct points of contact with Canadian law enforcement.

In Altman’s letter, first published in local newspaper Tumbler RidgeLines, the CEO said he discussed the shooting with Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darrell Krakoka and British Columbia Premier David Eby, and they all agreed that a “public apology is necessary,” but “time was also needed to respect the community while you grieve.”

“I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was blocked in June,” Altman said. “While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to acknowledge the irreparable harm and loss your community has suffered.”

Altman also said that OpenAI’s focus “will continue to be working with all levels of government to help ensure something like this never happens again.”

In a post on X, Eby said Altman’s apology was “necessary, but woefully insufficient for the devastation caused to the families of Tumbler Ridge.”

Canadian officials said they are considering new regulations on artificial intelligence, but have not made any final decisions.