OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the company is “deeply sorry” it did not flag a school shooter’s ChatGPT messages to law enforcement.
Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has apologized to the community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, saying his company should have alerted law enforcement after banning a ChatGPT account later linked to a mass shooting that killed eight people, according to police.
In a letter dated April 23 and shared Friday by British Columbia Premier David Eby, the leader of the San Francisco artificial intelligence company said he was “deeply sorry” it did not notify authorities after the account was banned last June.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to the entire community,” Altman wrote. “No one should ever have to endure a tragedy like this.”
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The apology adds to mounting scrutiny of how AI companies handle user activity that may signal a risk of violence — and when they should escalate those concerns to law enforcement.
The letter was published in full by the local outlet Tumbler RidgeLines and confirmed as authentic by OpenAI to multiple news organizations.
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It comes more than two months after the February attack in the small northeastern British Columbia community. Police have said an 18-year-old shooter killed eight people, including children at a local school, before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. More than two dozen others were injured, according to authorities.
“I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was banned in June,” Altman wrote. “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.”
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OpenAI has previously said it identified the account through its abuse-detection systems and banned it for violating company policy. But the company did not refer the matter to police, saying at the time that the activity did not meet its threshold for a credible or imminent threat of serious physical harm.
In the letter, Altman said he had spoken in recent months with Eby and Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka and had heard directly about the grief and anger in the community.
“The pain your community has endured is unimaginable,” he wrote.
Residents hug as they place flowers at a memorial for the victims of a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.
Christinne Muschi/Associated Press
“I cannot imagine anything worse in this world than losing a child,” he added. “My heart remains with the victims, their families, all the members of the community, and the province of British Columbia.”
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Eby, while sharing the letter, said the apology was warranted but fell far short of what families had endured. In a social media post, he called it “necessary, and yet grossly insufficient for the devastation done to the families of Tumbler Ridge.”
The shooting has become a flashpoint in a broader debate over the responsibilities of AI companies when their products are used in ways that may relate to planned violence. The case has drawn particular attention because OpenAI has acknowledged that the account had already been flagged internally months before the attack.
OpenAI is also facing a lawsuit from the family of a child injured in the shooting, according to the CBC broadcast network. The suit alleges the company had specific knowledge of the shooter’s plans and failed to act.
Altman said in the letter that OpenAI would keep working with government officials to prevent similar tragedies.
“Going forward, our focus will continue to be on working with all levels of government to help ensure something like this never happens again,” he wrote.
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Local officials said Friday that the apology could stir a wide range of emotions in a town still deep in mourning.
The District of Tumbler Ridge said it remained committed to supporting those affected and to ensuring that “care, respect, and accountability remain at the forefront as we move forward.”