AI NewsOpenAI CEO apologizes to Tumbler Ridge community

OpenAI CEO apologizes to Tumbler Ridge community

2:13 AM IST · April 26, 2026

In a letter to the residents of Tumbler Ridge, Canada, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he is “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 a suspected shooter who allegedly killed eight people,the Wall Street Journal reportedthat OpenAI had flagged and banned Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account in June 2025 for describing scenarios involving gun violence. The company’s staff debated alerting police butultimately decided against it, eventually reaching out to Canadian authorities after the shooting. OpenAI has since said that it isimproving safety protocols, for example by putting more flexible criteria in place to determine when accounts get referred to authorities, and by establishing direct points of contact with Canadian law enforcement. In Altman’s letter, which wasfirst published in the local newspaper Tumbler RidgeLines, the CEO said he’d discussed the shooting with Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka and British Columbia Premier David Eby, and they’d all agreed “a public apology was necessary,” but “time was also needed to respect the community as you grieved.” “I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was banned in June,” Altman said. “While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered.” Altman also said that OpenAI’s focus will “continue to be on working with all levels of government to help ensure nothing happens like this again.” Ina post on X, Eby said Altman’s apology is “necessary, and yet grossly insufficient for the devastation done to the families of Tumbler Ridge.” Canadian officials have said they areconsidering new regulations on artificial intelligencebut have not made any final decisions.