OpenAI discussed calling police over suspected Canadian shooter’s conversations

An 18-year-old who allegedly killed eight people in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, reportedly used OpenAI’s ChatGPT software in ways that alarmed the company’s employees.

Jesse Van Rotselaar’s talks describing gun violence were flagged by tools that monitor the company’s LLM for abuse and blocked in June 2025.

Employees at the company discussed whether or not to contact Canadian law enforcement about the behavior, but ultimately did not, according to the Wall Street Journal. An OpenAI spokesperson said Van Rootselaar’s activity did not meet the criteria for reporting to law enforcement; The company contacted Canadian authorities after the incident.

ChatGPT copies weren’t the only troubling part of Van Rootselaar’s digital footprint. She appears to have created a game on Roblox, the global simulation platform popular with kids, that simulates a mass shooting in a mall. She also posted about guns on Reddit.

Van Rotselaar’s instability was also known to local police, who were called to her family home after she started a fire while under the influence of unspecified drugs.

LLM chatbots created by OpenAI and its competitors have been accused of causing mental breakdowns in users who lose control of reality while conversing with digital models. Multiple lawsuits have been filed citing chat texts that encourage people to commit suicide or offer assistance in doing so.

If you are in crisis or having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988.