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Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, apologized for what he said was his company’s failure to alert law enforcement about the online behavior of the person accused in the Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, killings, according to a letter posted by officials and published by local media. In the letter, Altman expressed condolences to the community and said an apology was needed to recognize the harm and loss suffered by families there.
The apology followed an April 24 update on the case after police in British Columbia said an 18-year-old accused shooter, identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, carried out the February killings in the northern community. Police say Van Rootselaar killed his 39-year-old mother, Jennifer Jacobs, and his 11-year-old stepbrother, Emmett Jacobs, in their home before going to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and opening fire, killing five children and an educator before killing herself. Police said the attack also left 25 people injured.
Altman’s letter described OpenAI’s earlier conduct in terms of its internal review of content flagged for violent activity. The letter said OpenAI had not alerted law enforcement to the account that was banned in June, despite identifying it for “furtherance of violent activities,” the company said after the shootings.
In earlier disclosures, OpenAI said it considered whether to refer the account to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but decided at the time that the activity did not meet a threshold for referral. OpenAI also said it banned the account in June for violating its usage policy.
The letter, dated Thursday, appeared on British Columbia Premier David Eby’s social media accounts and also on the local news website Tumbler RidgeLines on Friday, according to the report. Altman said he spoke with Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka and Eby, and that they “conveyed the anger, sadness and concern” felt in the community, and that both sides agreed a public apology was warranted, though they would allow time for the community to grieve.
Altman also said he did not want families to endure such a tragedy and told them, “My heart remains with the victims.” He said OpenAI would continue working with all levels of government to help ensure something like the killings never happens again, according to the letter.
Eby, in a post accompanying the apology, called it “necessary, and yet grossly insufficient for the devastation done to the families of Tumbler Ridge.” The statement added to pressure on technology companies and public officials to clarify how detected threats online should be handled, including whether safety systems should trigger referrals to police.
OpenAI’s apology arrives as the case continues to draw attention to the gap between AI platforms’ enforcement actions—such as banning accounts—and direct steps that could involve law enforcement. As the community processes the February attack, the letter’s central point is that OpenAI believed its review did not meet a referral threshold, while provincial leadership said the circumstances appear to show the opportunity for prevention.