OpenAI debated reporting shooter's ChatGPT use to police

Staff at OpenAI reportedly debated whether to contact Canadian law enforcement after safety tools flagged chats from an 18-year-old who allegedly killed eight people in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada. The individual, Jesse Van Rootselaar, reportedly used OpenAI’s ChatGPT in ways that alarmed the company’s staff. Her chats, which described gun violence, were flagged by tools that monitor the company’s Large Language Model (LLM) for misuse, and her account was banned in June 2025. Despite the internal alarm, OpenAI staff debated whether to reach out to Canadian law enforcement over the behavior but ultimately did not, according to the Wall Street Journal.

An OpenAI spokesperson stated that Van Rootselaar’s activity did not meet the criteria for reporting to law enforcement. However, the company did reach out to Canadian authorities after the incident occurred. ChatGPT transcripts were not the only concerning part of Van Rootselaar’s digital footprint. She apparently created a game on Roblox, a world-simulation platform, that simulated a mass shooting at a mall, and she also posted about guns on Reddit.

Following the tragedy, an OpenAI spokesperson expressed that the company’s thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy. “We proactively reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with information on the individual and their use of ChatGPT, and we’ll continue to support their investigation,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson also noted that Van Rootselaar’s instability was also known to local police, who had been called to her family’s home after she started a fire while under the influence of unspecified drugs.

Why it matters

This incident highlights the difficult trade-offs AI companies face when balancing user privacy against the responsibility to report potential threats flagged by automated safety systems.