{"id":1902412,"date":"2026-04-25T14:11:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T11:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1902412"},"modified":"2026-04-25T14:11:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T11:11:48","slug":"openai-apologizes-for-not-reporting-tumbler-ridge-shooting-suspect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1902412","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI apologizes for not reporting Tumbler Ridge shooting suspect"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sam Altman ‘deeply sorry’ OpenAI didn’t report mass shooting suspect<\/h1>\n
The alleged shooter was banned from ChatGPT last year, but was able to create a second account.<\/div>\n
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\n \u00a0By\u00a0<\/p>\n
Anna Iovine<\/a><\/p>\n
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Anna Iovine<\/div>\n
Associate Editor, Features<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky<\/a>.\n <\/div>\n

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On Friday, local news site Tumbler Ridgelines published an apology from OpenAI<\/a> founder and CEO Sam Altman concerning a mass shooting.<\/p>\n

The letter<\/a>, dated April 23, is addressed to the community of Tumbler Ridge, a small town in British Columbia, Canada, where the alleged shooter, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, killed eight people<\/a> and then herself on Feb. 10. Van Rootselaar used ChatGPT<\/a>, and her first account was suspended in June 2025 after it detected content that presented as “an indication of potential real-world violence.” She was then banned, but OpenAI didn’t report her to law enforcement, and she was able to create a second ChatGPT account that wasn’t discovered until after the shooting.<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO:<\/span>Florida investigates OpenAI over deadly mass shooting<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

Weeks after the shooting, OpenAI announced it would change its safety protocols<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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British Columbia Premier David Eby stated in March that Sam Altman would apologize<\/a> and call for better regulations, and, as Tumbler Ridgelines pointed out, it’s now here a month later.<\/p>\n

“When I spoke with Mayor [Darryl] Krakowka and Premier Eby about this tragedy, they conveyed the anger, sadness, and concern being felt across Tumbler Ridge. We agreed a public apology was necessary, but that time was also needed to respect the community as you grieved. I share this letter with the understanding that everyone grieves in their own way and in their own time,” the letter states.<\/p>\n

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Altman goes on to say that he’s “deeply sorry” that OpenAI didn’t alert law enforcement when the ChatGPT account was banned in June. “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,” he wrote.<\/p>\n

He also said he commits to finding “ways to prevent tragedies like this in the future.” <\/p>\n

“Going forward, our focus will continue to be on working with all levels of government to help ensure something like this never happens again,” Altman wrote.<\/p>\n

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