Indictment charges Washington man with aiding February school gunman
About a dozen OpenAI staffers internally debated whether to contact authorities after the Canadian gunman, Jesse Van Rootselaar, described scenarios involving gun violence on the company’s ChatGPT chatbot months before he killed eight people at a British Columbia school in February, but company leaders ultimately decided not to alert law enforcement, The Wall Street Journal reported.
A federal indictment charges Washington state resident James Bryant, 30, with aiding Van Rootselaar in the February mass shooting, according to federal prosecutors.
The disclosure of the internal debate follows an April 23 apology from OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman, who said he was sorry the company did not contact law enforcement about Van Rootselaar, whose ChatGPT account the company suspended in June 2025.
Federal prosecutors allege Bryant spoke to Van Rootselaar every day during the six months before the British Columbia school attack, offering tactical advice and money for supplies. Prosecutors also say Bryant planned to help amplify a livestream of the shooting.
The February attack at the school killed a 39-year-old female teacher, three 12-year-old female students and two male students ages 12 and 13, according to police. Two additional victims — Van Rootselaar’s 39-year-old mother and his 11-year-old stepbrother — were found dead at the suspect’s home. Van Rootselaar was found dead at the scene from what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury, police said.
Months before the shooting, Van Rootselaar described scenarios involving gun violence to OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot over the course of several days. About a dozen OpenAI staffers internally debated whether to take action on Van Rootselaar’s posts, but the company’s leaders ultimately decided not to contact authorities.
News Corp, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, has a content-licensing partnership with OpenAI.