The family of a 12-year-old shooting victim has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the company failed to alert authorities about disturbing content on the shooter's ChatGPT account. The lawsuit claims OpenAI's inaction amounted to fatal negligence after the company suspended Jesse Van Rootselaar's account eight months before the February 2026 attack that killed six people at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia.

Van Rootselaar, 18, killed her mother and brother before opening fire at the school, critically wounding Maya Gebala, who was trying to protect classmates. OpenAI said it detected concerning messages through automated systems and manually reviewed them, but ultimately decided they didn't meet the threshold for reporting to Canadian authorities. The company cited user privacy concerns and the need to avoid causing distress through police involvement.

The case raises critical questions about AI companies' responsibilities when detecting violent content. OpenAI has since announced strengthened safeguards, including improved detection of banned users creating new accounts and assessments by mental health experts. British Columbia's premier said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman agreed to apologize to the Tumbler Ridge community, though the company maintains it followed appropriate protocols in handling the situation.