The Canadian province of British Columbia has filed a lawsuit in San Francisco federal court against OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman, alleging the company failed to prevent a February mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School that killed nine people, including five students and an educational assistant. According to the suit, OpenAI’s automated monitoring system flagged the alleged attacker’s ChatGPT account in June 2025 and a human review team concluded there was a “credible specific risk of harm to others.” Reviewers recommended referring the account to police, but OpenAI leadership rejected the recommendation and merely deactivated the account. The shooter then continued using a second ChatGPT account.

The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of negligence and aiding and abetting the attack, and seeks recovery of relief and rebuilding costs plus injunctive relief for preventive measures. British Columbia Attorney‑General Niki Sharma said the province has urged federal ministers to amend the criminal code to impose a “duty to report” on AI firms. OpenAI responded that it remains committed to working with government and law enforcement and to advancing its safety work.

The federal and provincial governments have committed C$200 million (US$143 million) to rebuild the school and upgrade the local health centre.