The Unspeakable Tragedy at Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia

"British Columbia is filing a lawsuit against OpenAI in California for its failure to notify law enforcement of threats made on its platform prior to the mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School."

"This case highlights the urgent need for strong national safeguards for artificial intelligence technologies and online platforms. Our government has consistently advocated for measures to protect people, especially children and youth from online harms."

"I have written to federal ministers [Minister of Justice Sean] Fraser, [Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan] Solomon and [Minister of Canadian Identity Marc] Miller with clear policy ideas to amend the Criminal Code of Canada to ensure a pathway to human accountability for AI's actions."

British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma 

B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma is calling for changes to the Criminal Code in the wake of reporting on the alleged conversations between the Tumbler Ridge mass shooter and ChatGPT. (Ben Nelms/CBC, Kiichiro Sato/The Associated Press)

 

"In response, Chat GPT explained why such violent content would be flagged -- and then offered tips on how to evade its own safeguards."

"It advised Van Rootselaar to always frame ... content as fictional or hypothetical in order to 'never get flagged again by OpenAI's moderation systems."

"[Over the next eight months, Van Rootselaar] discussed building and using firearms and homemade explosives, fantasized about becoming a notorious mass killer and asked about the timing of previous real-world school shootings."

"To have a chatbot engage in this way was, I think, quite astonishing. It's very troubling, because this is a person who has been already talking, for quite a while, about some very dark and disturbing things." 

Mark Follman, journalist, Mother Jones 

An RCMP vehicle is parked outside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in February 2026.

 

Transgender-identity, biological male Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, set out on February 10 of this year to commit a mass atrocity. Before leaving his home he shot his mother to death, along with his half-brother. That out of the way he made his way to the high school he had attended, to wreak mayhem and havoc there, carrying the lethal weapons that would enable him to pursue his deadly goal. He took the life of a teacher, and five students of the school. And finished his work by shooting himself dead. Those he managed to injure during his psychotic predation will carry the memory of the atrocity for the rest of their lives.

 

The RCMP detachment in the remote Northern British Columbia town at the foothills of the Rockies had had previous interactions with the young man that everyone referred to as 'she' and 'her', respecting his/her gender-choice identity. There were extensive files on Van Rootselaar dating back to the years when he/she was only ten years of age. At a time close to the event that represented one of the largest mass murders to ever have taken place in the country, the Van Rootselaar home's collection of firearms were taken into custody.

 

Van Rootselaar's mother evidently had a fascination for guns, and knew how to use them, ensuring that her son did as well, arranging for him to gain experience at a shooting range. Van Rootselaar's behaviour sparked attention by police to whom he was no stranger. Given the complicating fact that his was an unstable character, who engaged in troubling anti-social behaviour, it is more than a trifle puzzling that the weapons were returned to the Van Rootselaar home by the RCMP. 

 

Van Rootselaar had an initial ChatGPT account that he used extensively to probe for answers to questions about previous mass school killings and advice on how one might proceed to produce one's own. His troubling activity had been flagged by gatekeepers at ChatGPT which led to his account being suspended. He then proceeded to open a replacement account, and his interaction with ChatGPT continued unabated. Again it was flagged and the gatekeepers were all for notifying police, but a supervisor decided to nix it.

 

Some of the Tumbler Ridge shooting victims. Top row from left: Kylie Smith, Abel Mwansa, Zoey Benoit, Ticaria Lampert. Bottom row from left: Ezekiel Schofield, Emmett Jacobs, Jennifer Jacobs.

 

Van Rootselaar, fascinated with guns and with violence, and with mass shootings, appears to have self-radicalized with the benevolent assistance of ChatGPT which it seems felt obliged to to support that emerging psychopathy toward full-fledged maturity. His mental equilibrium was obviously fragile. Gender dysphoria, mental instability, social hostility, fetish for mass shootings all came together, alongside a resentment of his mother and step-brother and a linkage to the school he had left prematurely in his decision to disrupt his academic exposure.

 

An inquest by the B.C. Coroners Service remains as yet incomplete: "The B.C. Coroners Service has not confirmed the dates for the Tumbler Ridge inquest at this time. Once all related investigations are concluded, we will send out a news release with more details", wrote its media relations staff in response to an inquiry. Clearly this confused individual who harboured feelings of disengagement from society was in need of psychiatric intervention. In B.C. as in other parts of Canada provincial psychiatric services for youth in need are inadequate.

 

The government of British Columbia, the RCMP and the medical community must view the decision to sue OpenAI for the part its artificial intelligence agent played in the unfolding of this horrible tragedy as a convenient shield against probes into their own failings in being badly remiss in the potential prevention of a tragedy of this magnitude. That OpenAI is liable is without question. That the government of British Columbia should be asking its own questions of itself and its agencies is also without question.

 

Victims of the Tumbler Ridge shooting were memorialized in the days after the tragedy. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

 

"This action today is consistent with the province's long-standing commitment to hold powerful corporations accountable when their products or practices cause harm to people and communities."

"From tobacco  and opioid manufacturers to vaping companies, the Government of British Columbia has used the courts to pursue accountability and ensure that people in British Columbia are not left bearing the costs of corporate wrong-doing." 

B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma 

 

A Lifetime's Adventure

 

"From his last contact point to York Factory is only 19 kilometres. But that ground is brutal — flooded creeks, muskeg, high willows. He never made it across, and we lost his trail."

"People looked out for him. They made sure he had food and gear when he passed by."

"He texted me around 1:12 p.m. Eastern, said he’d be there in six hours. He even asked if the museum group was still there. He was upbeat, he knew exactly where he was. I relayed that to York Factory."

"That was the first sign something was wrong. His dog made it, but Stefan didn’t."

"I first called RCMP in Gillam, but they didn’t understand — they kept asking if he was driving or flying. I kept saying, ‘He’s walking on the coast'. They told me it wasn’t their area."

"They didn’t even go to the exact waypoint Stefan messaged me from, which was a kilometre inland. That’s Search and Rescue 101: you start from the last known location."

"We did everything we could with what we had. We started from his last known point, we followed his tracks until they disappeared. After that, nothing. No garbage, no debris, no sign of him. Just silence." 

Angus Miles, Fort Severn resident 

 

"Due to the extreme challenges of this area, most of the searching will be done via aircraft, boats and drones. The local guides and those heading up are extremely well versed in the local terrain and the dangers that exist in this area which include polar bears and wolves."

"We went straight to the coordinates. Within 10 seconds of hovering, we found his trail — bootprints and dog tracks in the muskeg. We followed it until it disappeared into a flooded creek."

"He was directly on the east side shore of the Hayes River, located approximately 4.4 kms from York Factory."

"If you're able to walk anywhere, usually the best areas to walk is the riverbanks because that's the most stable soil. Otherwise, it's bog, [a] kind of swampy, [waist-high] marsh muskeg."

"The likelihood is he may have entered the river to try to cross and was swept up in the water."

"There aren't too many people on this planet that could make that trek. The fact that he actually almost made it, it's impressive."

RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre  

Steffen Skjottelvik is shown in a 2023 photo. (Steffan Skjottelvik/Facebook)

 

"He has dreamed about crossing Canada by foot for a number of years. By foot in summer, and with dog sled in winter."

"He has saved money for many years to be able to do this trip."

"He has prepared himself for this trip for many years. He got to know many people while walking. He also lived with them for longer periods, before moving along."

Uncle Lars Jorgen Sorensen, Norway  

A young Norwegian adventurer, seized with an experience he imagined he could pull off, the adventure of a lifetime. Perhaps in his enthusiasm it hadn't really occurred to the 29-year-old that this adventure would shorten his lifetime, but then the young don't think like that typically; they focus on the adventure, not the potential consequences. 

 

He might perhaps have done well in his preparations, to have consulted a book titled The North-West Passage by Land, authored by two men who had set out on a journey quite like the one young Steffen imagined for himself, almost two hundred years earlier. That was when adventurers from Britain, skilled with similar experiences set out to make their way from Canada's east coast to its far-flung west coast. They faced similar conditions, but had decided they would lay over the winter in Manitoba after their overland journey that got them that far to await spring before continuing their journey.

 

This young Norwegian trekker who set out with his two dogs over a wild and remote terrain that would challenge the physical and mental resources of any fit, athletic and resourceful outdoorsman whose ambition was to face an arduous journey with resolute determination, has disappeared. He managed quite a journey, facing the dangers of treacherous muskeg and swift-moving northern Manitoba rivers on his cross-continental trip across the Canadian wilderness.

 

Last month he had set out hiking from Fort Severn Ontario with his two dogs. RCMP officers in Gillam, Manitoba had been contacted Friday when Steffen Skjottelvik's expected arrival at York Factory, 850 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg failed to materialize. Alarm was initially raised when one of his dogs appeared on its own, exhausted, at York Factory, the young man nowhere in sight. The second dog might have been lost in an altercation with wolves.  

 

Searchers continue looking for Norwegian trekker Steffen Skjottelvik, 29, who went missing near York Factory, Man., after setting out from Fort Severn, Ont., on a solo hike along the Hudson Bay coast. His last message was sent Aug. 14, just 20 kilometres from his destination. Photo by Steffen Skjottelvik /Winnipeg Sun

Locals responded to the situation immediately it became clear that the young man appeared to have met with misfortune; given the circumstances of weather, terrain and adversarial wildlife, a not totally surprising situation. Searching the region by boat and plane is the preferred option, given the danger posed by the terrain for anyone attempting to canvass the area on foot, as the young Norwegian had done, to his great peril.

From a Facebook group that developed with the distinct purpose of tracking Skjottelvik's journey, it appears he had planned to trek from James Bay, the vast distance to Alaska. Police advise that the young man would have had to cross six or seven rivers by foot, all the while alert to the need to fend off wildlife, including wolves and polar bears. Hayes River nearby his destination is one of the swiftest-moving rivers in the country. There is, furthermore, a four-metre tide from the impact of Hudson Bay.

In requesting search assistance from other agencies, the RCMP has had no luck, given the clear safety risks involved. A drone was used on Monday by one RCMP officer, hoping that a heat source could pinpoint some possible evidence of a congregating of animals. It is estimated that within the next several days, searchers will have covered most of the terrain.  

Supplied image of the terrain where Steffen Skjottelvik was hiking.

Singing From a Different Hymnal

"Media Relations officers were asked to ensure that internal notifications were flagged and shared with provincial headquarters prior to things being issued so that additional notifications could be completed."

"No one has been restricted from addressing matters in their jurisdiction and pre-existing Media Relations protocols have not changed."

"[In fact, the guidance indicated that we] commit to be available to review and ensure timely feedback as it is not our intention on delaying communication efforts."

Staff Sgt.Kris Clark, senior media relations officer, Royal Canadian Mounted Police E Division statement

"Organized crime groups are actively involved in the redistribution of safe supply and prescription drugs."

"It might mean how we regulate our safe supply might need a sober second glance."

Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, RCMP Prince George detachment

RCMP have arrested a suspect who was accused of standing outside the IDA pharmacy in Prince George and trading illicit drugs for safe supply prescription pills. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)

A leaked memo emerged where Mounties in British Columbia have been instructed to step carefully around "hot button issues", in the wake of RCMP in British Columbia continually reporting the phenomena of government-distributed "safer supply" opioids showing up in drug busts. "It is very clear we are in a pre-election time period and the topic of 'public safety' is very much an issue that governments and voters are discussing", the email of March 11 from HQ of E Division, B.C. branch of the RCMP reads.

Thus the 150 detachments in the province of the RCMP were instructed not to directly address such potentially controversial issues. Best practice henceforth would be rout enquiries from journalists and government communications staff through to central headquarters for response. Drug seizures and drug decriminalization to be considered on a list of "hot button issues". Controversies continue to erupt related to the province's commitment to "safer supply", at the same time that it has decriminalized simple possession of illicit drugs.

At the turn of the year, provincial RCMP detachments had reported seizures of black-market hydromorphone tablets initially distributed by the government of British Columbia ostensibly representing a safer supply. Consequentially, in northeastern B.C., RCMP with the Prince George division reported hydromorphone tablets seized, along with various street drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine and prescription drugs  such as painkiller and anti-convulsant gabapentin.

 

Prince George RCMP seized prescription drugs, suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl and a small amount of cash from the suspect's residence after a 10-day surveillance operation. (Prince George RCMP)

Police in Campbell River on Vancouver Island, a month earlier reported seizure of 3,500 hydromorphone pills identifying them as having been diverted into the black market by "a well-organized drug trafficking operation". Reports that appeared to contradict the consistent claim of authorities in British Columbia that "diversion" did not present as a major problem; alternately that it wasn't occurring, to begin with.

British Columbia boasted becoming the world's first jurisdiction to launch the Safer Opioid Supply program in 2020, a plan to dispense prescribed recreational opioids, in the form of hydromorphone pills; an alternative to addicts relying on the "toxic illegal drug supply". Interviews with over a dozen addiction-medicine specialists in May 2023 by investigative journalist Adam Zivo, for the National Post, concluded that addicts routinely obtain safer supply, then turn around to provide it for cash to the black market.

The obvious result was that the "toxic illegal drug supply" was in fact being subsidized by the illegal funding resulting from reselling safer supply. The black market was flooded with inexpensive hydromorphone. A search of the  website reddit by Adam Zivo resulted in the appearance of dozens of posts boasting diverted "dillies" for sale. B.C. chief coroner Lisa Lapointe, herself an enthusiastic advocate for safer supply, publicly declared in June of 2023 that it was "not true" that diversion was taking place, but was the result of "increasingly polarized rhetoric that is not informed by evidence". 

 

RCMP coincidentally in British Columbia promulgated an official statement authorized by its assistant commissioner that there "is currently no evidence to support a widespread diversion of safer supply drugs in the illicit market in B.C. or Canada", the very day the "hot button issues" memorandum had been sent out. "We've increased awareness to our police officers in order to better identify cases where safer supply drugs may be present within their investigations", the assistant commissioner clarified. 

 

A statue commemorating people who have died of drug overdoses is pictured at Seaforth Peace Park in Vancouver on in April 2022. B.C implemented a safer supply program in 2020 in an attempt to address the toxic drug crisis in the province. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

"Someone comes out of a pharmacy with their prescribed safe supply, and is met head on with a drug dealer offering them illicit drugs in exchange for those drugs to be then distributed into the community."

"It's pretty evident this is exactly how this problem has become a problem in British Columbia."

Elenore Sturko, ex-RCMP officer, currently B.C. United opposition critic for mental health and addiction

Ghost Guns Proliferating

"[With most handguns, if police want to work at it, they can usually trace them-- even back to the United States or Europe, wherever they're made."

"But with these [ghost guns], they could change hands multiple times. It can be very, very difficult to figure out where they originated."

Blake Brown, professor, history of firearms control in Canada, Saint Mary's University

 

"This presence [of 3D guns] is consistent with national and international trends observed, where privately made firearms are being used in criminal activity."

"Privately made firearms ... can appeal to individuals intending to use them for criminal purposes since they do not have a serial number and are difficult to trace."

RCMP statement

 

"The best you can do is make possessing 3D printed parts for firearms ... illegal somehow."

"That's still not going to deter people who weren't deterred from shooting other people in the first place."

Rod Giltaca, Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights

Calgary police have seized 17 3D-printed firearms this year. Previously, they had seized only one. (Calgary Police Service)

Ghost guns are simple to produce, hard to trace and are becoming ubiquitous at crime scenes in North America. These are firearms lacking serial numbers, assembled from individual parts or 3D printers. Canada's federal policing body has not yet seen fit to maintain a database on these 3D firearms, or on printers -- much less how many shootings have occurred with the use of the weapons. It has, however laid charges in a number of cases where 3D guns were seized. 3D print files are available for producing a range of firearms, including assault rifles.

There are reports the RCMP claims to be "anecdotally" aware of, regarding ghost gun seizures in Canada, but they report, they "do not collect statistics on this". According to Professor Brown, whose study expertise is the history of Canadian firearms control, national and regional statistics should be kept with respect to the number of 3D-printed weapons seized, where and on what occasion. Lack of data makes it more difficult to generate basic facts.

 

Wisconsin-based gun designer Ethan Middleton shows a firearm he printed and assembled in less than a day. (Ousama Farag/CBC)

 

Ghost gun manufacturers and distributors might face discouragement, Professor Brown suggests, should they face stiffer criminal penalties. The presence of these firearms has been a growing concern of police continent-wide. An anti-gun unit based in Quebec, this year along with RCMP, arearrested 45 people, seizing 440 guns in raids targeting makers of 3D-printed firearms in eight provinces: Quebec, Ontario Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

 

A coroner's inquest heard last month that weapons used to murder three people in the Montreal area in August 2022 were homemade by the killer, who shot at random. The U.S. Justice Department informed the Supreme Court that local law enforcement agencies seized over 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, over a tenfold increase in just a five-year period.

Canada, noted Professor Brown, maintains rigorous regulations on firearms, in particular handguns, but 3D-printed guns bypass regulations since they are absent serial numbers. According to experts, it's relatively easy for anyone to produce a gun. It takes a 3D printer which uses a laser to secrete a liquid resin that hardens to form the gun parts, and instructions for its use, found readily online. 

 

There is nothing in the Firearms Act or other associated laws to prohibit anyone from possessing a digital blueprint for a 3D-printed gun, although possession of the firearm sans licence and registration certificate can lead to weapons seizure and criminal charges.

Ben Lawson, acting staff sergeant of the Calgary Police Service's Firearms Investigative Unit, shows 3D-printed firearms that were seized by his unit. (Ellen Mauro/CBC)

 

 

Terrorism -- Out of the Blue

"During the course of our investigation, it was determined that the suspect made quite a few concerning statements, which is why we notified the RCMP INSET [Integrated National Security Team]."

"So they have taken on an investigation as well. And we're working with them. But from here on, they will be in charge of the investigation and they have forwarded their own charges along with ours."

"[I cannot be specific about what the suspect said] I can only say that it was concerning enough to notify INSET." 

Constable Amanda Steed, Metro Vancouver Transit Police

 

“We remain committed to uncovering all the facts relating to this disturbing and unprovoked assault, and value the work and collaboration from our policing partners, the Metro Vancouver Transit Police and Surrey RCMP Detachment.”

"[INSET continues to work with Metro Vancouver Transit Police on the case, now deemed a terrorist attack]." 

"The amended charges relate to allegations the assaults were carried out for the Islamic State.”

RCMP Superintendent David Teboul 

 

"All of the charges that this particular person is facing are very serious in nature. Many of them do carry the potential of life in prison if he is found guilty of them."    

"Certainly adding a terrorism aspect of this would be aggravating, if the Crown can prove it."

Vancouver criminal lawyer Sarah Leamon

Abdul Aziz Kawam is pictured in an artist's court sketch as he made an appearance in Surrey provincial court Monday. (Felicity Don)

Four terrorism charges have been officially laid against a man who was arrested after having seriously injured a bus passenger in a knife attack in Surrey, British Columbia Saturday. Charges of "committing an offence for the benefit of a terrorist organization" -- the Islamic State, was specifically mentioned -- were sworn against Abdul Aziz Kawam Monday.

“There was no warning [before the attack, and terrorism didn't enter the minds of the family until police announced the charges]. He [Kawam] just attacked him [victim]."

“It was a heroic act [the victim struggling with the armed attacker and pushing him off the bus after the attack]."

"When the guy cut his throat, he could have given up, he could have curled up and just let the guy attack somebody else. But he kept fighting, and in the end he may have saved every person on that bus from injury.” 

“He's able to move, but emotionally he is in another place. He may have trouble getting on the bus the next time he tries. He may not trust certain people around him because they look very much like this person."

“He doesn't even want to go to court to ever see this guy.”

Chris Jensen, victim's brother-in-law

The man charged with terrorism made an appearance in Surrey provincial court where he was arraigned. The 28-year-old was already facing four other charges after a man had his throat slashed on a bus travelling on Fraser Highway. Another victim experienced out of the blue a knife held to his throat while he was standing at a bus stop some four blocks away.

 

The charges against the named terrorist suspect include one of attempted murder, two of assault with a weapon and one of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Added to which is the terrorism charge.The provincial court database has no criminal history of the suspect. Transit Police dealt with him in 2019 for a "mental-health-related" incident, however.

"[Some ten minutes prior to the bus attack another victim was standing at a bus stop when a person approached] and held a knife to his throat."

"That victim was able to break free and run away. And then the suspect ran from there and boarded the bus with the second victim at 145th and Fraser [streets]. They both boarded at the same time."

Transit Constable Amanda Steed

Transit police say a man was stabbed on a bus by another man in Surrey, B.C., on Saturday morning. (Shane MacKichan)