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OpenAI Leader Says Sorry for Not Alerting Police About a Dangerous User

Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada,Saturday, April 25, 2026

Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, wrote a letter to the town of Tumbler Ridge on April 23. He apologized for not telling police about a banned ChatGPT account that was linked to Jesse Van Rootselaar. Van Rootselaar is the person who killed eight people in a school in February and then took his own life. The account was banned last year because it broke OpenAI’s rules. However, the violations were not serious enough for the company to report to authorities at that time.

Altman talked with the mayor of Tumbler Ridge, Darryl Krakowka, and the Premier of British Columbia, David Eby. He described how painful this loss was for everyone in the community. OpenAI says it will work with government officials to stop similar incidents from happening again. The company is trying to improve how it handles dangerous users.

british columbia town of tumbler ridge david eby darryl krakowka jesse van rootselaar sam altman

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