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Prime Minister Mark Carney, centre, his wife Diana Fox Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, place flowers at a memorial for the victims of a mass shooting, in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
By The Canadian Press

B.C. may ‘use the courts’ to sue OpenAI over Tumbler Ridge shooting

Jul 7, 2026 | 2:00 AM

VANCOUVER — The British Columbia government has hired lawyers in both B.C. and California to pursue legal action to hold OpenAI accountable for its part in the shooting where eight victims were killed in Tumbler Ridge.

Attorney General Niki Sharma says no company or corporate leader should escape accountability when public safety is at risk.

Also killed was 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar, whose use of ChatGPT before the February murders is now the subject of multiple lawsuits against the chatbot’s creator, OpenAI, and company founder Sam Altman.

The attorney general says everyone was shocked when information came out that the shootings might have been prevented had OpenAI reported the actions of the killer to police before the murders.

Sharma says any legal action the B.C. government would take would remain separate from litigation launched by family and community members.

B.C.’s Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger said in May that the police investigation into the shooting was in its final stages, and because no criminal process will be held, the coroner has already called an inquest into the deaths.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2026.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press