‘My heart remains with victims’: Sam Altman apologises after warning signs missed in Canada shooting
On February 10, Jesse Van Rootselaar killed two family members at home before fatally shooting five students and an educator at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in Canada, then dying by suicide.
Co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, issued a written apology letter on Friday saying that his company failed to alert law enforcement agencies about online activity linked to the attacker of a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada.
In his apology letter, he mentioned that he was deeply sorry the company missed flagging the account after it was banned months before the attack. “While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognise the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered,” Altman wrote to the victims’ families.
The letter surfaced on the social media account of British Columbia premier David Eby and on a local news websites.
According to the police, the attack was carried out on February 10 by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who first killed two of a family at their home before opening fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. In the shooting five children and an educator died, with 25 others injured, before the attacker died by suicide.
OpenAI revealed that the suspect’s account had been identified in June through internal systems monitoring for potential misuse related to “furtherance of violent activities.” The company said it reviewed whether to refer the case to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but eventuallly determined the activity did not escalate at the time. The account was banned for policy violations.
Further, in his letter Altman also mentioned that he had spoken with local officials, including Tumbler Ridge mayor Darryl Krakowka, who conveyed the “anger, sadness and concern” felt the entire community. He added that while the apology was necessary, it came after allowing time for grieving.
“No one should ever have to endure a tragedy like this. I cannot imagine anything worse in this world than losing a child…My heart remains with the victims,” Altman added.
Altman also pledged cooperation with authorities going forward saying that, “Our focus will continue to be on working with all levels of government to help ensure something like this never happens again.”
Responding to the letter, Eby said that the apology was “necessary,” but “grossly insufficient” given the scale of devastation suffered by families in Tumbler Ridge.
The shooting took place on the afternoon of February 10 at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which has about 160 students.
According to police, the suspect entered the school carrying a long gun and a modified handgun and began firing at students and staff. Officers reached the scene within two minutes and reportedly came under fire before moving inside the building.
Victims were discovered in a classroom and on a stairwell. The suspect was also found dead at the scene.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police later confirmed that nine people were killed.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald was quoted by BBC as saying that the suspect had been assigned male at birth but had begun transitioning around six years ago, identifying as a woman. Police noted that they related the suspect in line with her public and social media identity.
McDonald added that the suspect had dropped out of the school four years earlier. When asked if bullying linked to the gender transition might have been a factor, he said there was no evidence to support that.
Authorities also said officers had responded to multiple mental health-related calls at the suspect’s family home in recent years, some involving weapons. Firearms had been seized on at least one occasion but were later returned to a lawful owner.
Police further stated that the suspect first killed her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at their home before carrying out the attack at the nearby school she had previously attended.
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Co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, issued a written apology letter on Friday saying that his company failed to alert law enforcement agencies about online activity linked to the attacker of a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada.
In his apology letter, he mentioned that he was deeply sorry the company missed flagging the account after it was banned months before the attack. “While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognise the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered,” Altman wrote to the victims’ families.
The letter surfaced on the social media account of British Columbia premier David Eby and on a local news websites.
According to the police, the attack was carried out on February 10 by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who first killed two of a family at their home before opening fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. In the shooting five children and an educator died, with 25 others injured, before the attacker died by suicide.
OpenAI revealed that the suspect’s account had been identified in June through internal systems monitoring for potential misuse related to “furtherance of violent activities.” The company said it reviewed whether to refer the case to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but eventuallly determined the activity did not escalate at the time. The account was banned for policy violations.
Further, in his letter Altman also mentioned that he had spoken with local officials, including Tumbler Ridge mayor Darryl Krakowka, who conveyed the “anger, sadness and concern” felt the entire community. He added that while the apology was necessary, it came after allowing time for grieving.
“No one should ever have to endure a tragedy like this. I cannot imagine anything worse in this world than losing a child…My heart remains with the victims,” Altman added.
Altman also pledged cooperation with authorities going forward saying that, “Our focus will continue to be on working with all levels of government to help ensure something like this never happens again.”
Responding to the letter, Eby said that the apology was “necessary,” but “grossly insufficient” given the scale of devastation suffered by families in Tumbler Ridge.
The shooting took place on the afternoon of February 10 at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, which has about 160 students.
According to police, the suspect entered the school carrying a long gun and a modified handgun and began firing at students and staff. Officers reached the scene within two minutes and reportedly came under fire before moving inside the building.
Victims were discovered in a classroom and on a stairwell. The suspect was also found dead at the scene.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police later confirmed that nine people were killed.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald was quoted by BBC as saying that the suspect had been assigned male at birth but had begun transitioning around six years ago, identifying as a woman. Police noted that they related the suspect in line with her public and social media identity.
McDonald added that the suspect had dropped out of the school four years earlier. When asked if bullying linked to the gender transition might have been a factor, he said there was no evidence to support that.
Authorities also said officers had responded to multiple mental health-related calls at the suspect’s family home in recent years, some involving weapons. Firearms had been seized on at least one occasion but were later returned to a lawful owner.
Police further stated that the suspect first killed her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at their home before carrying out the attack at the nearby school she had previously attended.
