OpenAI Sued by Families of Canada School Shooting Victims

People pay their respects at a community vigil in Tumbler RidgePhotographer: Paige Taylor White/AFP/Getty Images

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By Rachel Metz

April 29, 2026 at 1:06 PM UTC

Updated on

April 29, 2026 at 1:42 PM UTC

OpenAI is the target of new lawsuits over the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, that allege the artificial intelligence company could have stopped the suspected killer from using its popular chatbot, ChatGPT, ahead of the attack.

One of the cases, which were filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco against OpenAI and its chief executive officer, Sam Altman, was brought by a 12-year-old, who was shot during the incident and remains in intensive care, and her mother. Another lawsuit was brought by the mother of a girl killed in the shooting.