Particle.news
Download on the App Store
27 ARTICLES
·
4h ago

OpenAI Flagged Tumbler Ridge Suspect in 2025 as B.C. Says It Withheld That in Post‑Shooting Meeting

The company says the chats did not meet its threshold for a law‑enforcement referral requiring evidence of an imminent and credible threat.

FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Police put out tape near the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and surrounding buildings on Feb. 11.
A police vehicle is parked outside a high school, the site of a deadly mass shooting in the town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada February 11, 2026. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier
Image

Overview

  • OpenAI confirms an account linked to Jesse Van Rootselaar was detected and banned in June 2025 for misuse related to violent activities.
  • Employees reportedly urged escalating the flagged chats describing gun‑violence scenarios, but leadership decided not to alert police at the time.
  • British Columbia officials say OpenAI did not disclose the earlier internal flagging during a Feb. 11 meeting and only asked the next day to be connected with the RCMP.
  • After the Feb. 10 attack, OpenAI says it proactively contacted the RCMP with information on the suspect’s ChatGPT use and is cooperating with the investigation.
  • RCMP continue processing digital and physical evidence, including the suspect’s broader online activity, as authorities confirm eight people were killed before the shooter died of a self‑inflicted gunshot.