A ChatGPT account connected to Jesse Van Rootselaar was flagged last year over concerning interactions that violated owner OpenAI’s policies, according to the company.
In a statement, OpenAI confirmed an account linked to the young Tumbler Ridge, B.C., resident was the identified via “abuse detection and enforcement efforts which include automated tools and human investigations to identify misuses of our models in furtherance of violent activities” in June 2025, more than seven months before last week’s horrific mass shooting.
The account was banned and the company considered referring the user to law enforcement, but ultimately decided the interactions did not warrant doing so.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in an email.
Following the shooting—which left eight innocent people dead—the company did “proactively” contact the RCMP with “information on the individual and their use of ChatGPT,” the spokesperson said.