# OpenAI sued over shooter's unheeded warnings

> British Columbia claims OpenAI ignored its own staff's advice to alert police about a user planning violence, leading to a preventable shooting.
- Title: OpenAI sued over shooter's unheeded warnings · Engadget
- Summary: British Columbia claims OpenAI ignored its own staff's advice to alert police about a user planning violence, leading to a preventable shooting. British…
- Keywords: openai, british columbia, tumbler ridge shooting, chatbot safety, law enforcement notification, product liability, ai regulation, sam altman, technology, sued, shooter's, unheeded
- Source: Engadget — https://engadget.com/2264989/openai-tumbler-ridge-shooting-lawsuit
- Author: Mariella Moon
- Published: 2026-09-22T08:47:27+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: openai, british columbia, tumbler ridge shooting, chatbot safety, law enforcement notification, product liability, ai regulation, sam altman, technology
## British Columbia sues OpenAI
The Canadian province filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of negligence and designing an unsafe product over the Tumbler Ridge shooting.
## Staff flagged threats, company didn't act
OpenAI employees flagged the shooter's account in twenty twenty-five for potential real-world violence warnings, but the company didn't alert the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
## Shooter created second account
Although OpenAI banned the original account, the shooter made a second account that the company later discovered.
## Altman apologized but it wasn't enough
OpenAI chief Sam Altman apologized for not alerting authorities, but British Columbia premier David Eby called it necessary yet grossly insufficient.

> necessary, and yet grossly insufficient
## Attorney general demands accountability
British Columbia attorney general Niki Sharma said no company should be exempt from accountability simply because the technology is new.

> No company should be exempt from accountability simply because the technology is new.
## Lawsuit seeks school funding and damages
British Columbia filed in California to maximize payouts, wants OpenAI to fund a new school in Tumbler Ridge, and faces a separate complaint from victims' families.
## Key takeaway

British Columbia is suing OpenAI for failing to notify authorities about a shooter's threatening chats despite staff warnings, claiming the tragedy was preventable.