Canadian School Shooting Victim, 12, Remains Unable to Speak After AI-Assisted Attack
A 12-year-old girl who was shot in the head during a horrific school shooting in Canada remains unable to speak or see two months after the devastating incident. Maya Gebala, aged 12, is still hospitalised and fighting for her life after sustaining catastrophic injuries during the rampage that claimed the lives of five innocent pupils and a teacher on February 10.
ChatGPT Used to Plan Deadly Shooting
The parents of Maya Gebala, along with Bob Zimmer, a Member of the House of Commons of Canada, are now pursuing legal action against ChatGPT's parent company, OpenAI. The lawsuit alleges that the perpetrator, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, used the artificial intelligence platform to assist in planning the shooting, and that OpenAI failed to notify Canadian authorities about the deeply concerning conversations.
Van Rootselaar murdered their mother and half-brother before opening fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in a remote north-eastern corner of British Columbia. The attacker subsequently took their own life, making this one of the deadliest shootings in Canadian history.
Victim's Severe Injuries and Heroic Actions
According to the legal documents, Gebala was shot three times during the attack. One bullet passed through her head above her left eye, another entered her neck, and a third grazed her cheek and part of her ear. She is suffering from a catastrophic traumatic brain injury, permanent cognitive and physical disability, right-sided hemiplegia, scarring, and physical deformities.
Reports indicate that Gebala was attempting to shield her classmates by trying to lock the doors to the school library to prevent the shooter from gaining entry. Her mother, Cia Edmonds, shared photos from hospital as she prayed for a miracle after doctors initially told her the little girl wouldn't last the night.
Multiple Red Flags Ignored
The lawsuit reveals disturbing details about how the tragedy unfolded. Van Rootselaar allegedly created a ChatGPT account before reaching the age of 18, which requires parental consent, but the platform failed to verify their age. The teenager confided in the chatbot, treating it as a "trusted confidante," and detailed "various scenarios involving gun violence" over multiple days in late spring or early summer of 2025.
Twelve OpenAI employees reportedly flagged these conversations as "indicating an imminent risk of serious harm to others" and recommended that Canadian law enforcement be contacted to investigate. However, authorities were never notified.
OpenAI's Response and Ongoing Investigation
OpenAI did suspend Van Rootselaar's initial ChatGPT account in June 2025 due to the concerning nature of the conversations. Yet, despite this ban, the lawsuit alleges the teenager was able to open a second ChatGPT account and continue planning scenarios involving gun violence.
Bob Zimmer told reporters, "There were so many red flags and so many preventative things that could have been done to prevent the tragedy." He remains determined to help Gebala's family and all other victims obtain justice, stating, "We will leave no stone unturned."
OpenAI has informed media outlets that it is committed to making "meaningful changes" to help avoid similar tragedies occurring in the future. Meanwhile, Gebala is reportedly in stable condition and on her way to Los Angeles for specialist treatment, while her family and political figures continue to demand answers about whether this tragedy could have been prevented with earlier action.
