Overview
- Sam Altman issued a public apology posted Friday that acknowledged OpenAI did not notify police after banning a user later linked to the Tumbler Ridge shooter.
- OpenAI says its systems flagged and then banned the account in June 2025 for misuse tied to violence, but staff decided it fell short of a threshold that requires a credible and imminent threat to refer to law enforcement.
- The company later said the user created another account before the Feb. 10 attack that killed eight people and injured 25 in the small British Columbia town.
- British Columbia Premier David Eby called the apology grossly insufficient, and OpenAI has pledged tighter safeguards and a direct contact channel with police after meetings with Canadian officials.
- At least one victim’s family has sued OpenAI for negligence, and provincial leaders say the police investigation is in its final stages with a coroner’s inquest planned.