Fact-checking claims about sniper’s identity in Charlie Kirk shooting

In the hours aft blimpish activistic Charlie Kirk was assassinated, details astir his attacker remained elusive, and societal media users and unrecorded TV commentary filled the void with mendacious information.

As of precocious day connected September 11, the time aft the shooting astatine Utah Valley University, wherever Kirk had been speaking, authorities did not person the shooter successful custody and had not released immoderate suspect’s name.

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Federal Bureau of Investigation agents “have been moving astir the timepiece successful coordination with our instrumentality enforcement partners,” FBI peculiar cause Robert Bohls said during a quality league connected Thursday. “We are and volition proceed to enactment nonstop until we find the idiosyncratic that has committed this heinous transgression and find retired wherefore they did it.”

Two radical were taken into custody connected the time of the shooting, but neither was the culprit, and some were released.

The FBI released images connected Thursday of a “person of interest” and asked the nationalist for assistance identifying the attacker.

Here’s a rundown of what didn’t happen, contempt claims to the contrary.

No grounds the sniper mightiness person been a Kirk supporter

About an hr aft the shooting, earlier Kirk’s decease was announced, governmental commentator Matthew Dowd suggested during an MSNBC broadcast that the sniper could person been a Kirk supporter.

“We don’t cognize if this was a protagonist shooting their weapon disconnected successful solemnisation oregon – truthful we person nary thought astir this,” Dowd said.

While the attacker remains astatine large, determination is nary grounds that the idiosyncratic was a Kirk protagonist oregon idiosyncratic celebrating.

State and national authorities said a sniper fired a azygous changeable from a high-powered bolt-action firearm that was aboriginal recovered successful a wooded country extracurricular the assemblage campus. A assemblage spokesperson said instrumentality enforcement believes the idiosyncratic fired from the extortion of a gathering immoderate region from Kirk.

Dowd was fired hours aboriginal for his comments, which besides included statements astir Kirk utilizing “hateful words” that led to “hateful actions”. MSNBC and Dowd some apologised for the rhetoric.

Orem Mayor Dave Young speaks astatine a candlelight vigil for Kirk astatine a memorial successful Orem City Center Park, Orem, Utah [AFP]

George Zinn was taken into custody, but is not the attacker

Immediately aft the shooting, videos of a bald antheral being dragged distant by instrumentality enforcement officers circulated wide connected X. People sharing the videos said the man’s sanction was George Zinn.

Zinn was initially taken into custody, authorities said, but helium was released and charged with obstruction by police.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Zinn disrupted events successful the past and has a transgression grounds dating to the 1980s. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill told the paper that Zinn was often arrested “on suspicion of trespassing” and was “politically conservative, leaning libertarian”.

Michael Mallinson, a 77-year-old Canadian man, was not the shooter

An representation of a antithetic bald antheral besides went viral.

An X station with much than 992,000 views said, “The assassination effort connected Charlie Kirk was allegedly carried retired by Michael Mallinson, a subordinate of the Utah Democratic Party, Fox News reported”.

That assertion was unfounded.

Mallinson said helium is simply a 77-year-old retired banker “who lived and was successful Toronto”, The New York Times reported aft interviewing him. The rumour whitethorn person originated from an X relationship impersonating a Fox broadcast affiliate, The Times reported.

The fact-checking website, Lead Stories, found that the representation was posted successful 2020 connected X by an relationship with Mallinson’s name. That relationship was unavailable connected September 11.

A meme has been recycled for almost a decade to propulsion disinformation astir the individuality of wide shooting suspects successful the US and abroad. The meme features a real-life comedian whose sanction and photos person repeatedly been used by net hoaxers. Once again, aft Kirk’s death, the meme circulated on social media.

“Charlie Kirk shooter and Palestinian sympathizer Sam Hyde identified arsenic shooter,” said a September 10 X station showing an representation of a antheral with a rifle.

Another X station connected Wednesday shared a video of the aforesaid antheral with a weapon and footage of him shooting outdoors. The caption said: “Video of Charlie Kirk shooter present surfaces aft the incidental and the shooter is identified arsenic Samuel Hackmann. Watch arsenic helium warns astir the devastation helium volition beryllium causing.”

The video and images amusement Samuel Hyde, present 40, a comedian. One of the images of Hyde with a firearm is from a 2016 YouTube video that has been removed.

The video successful the X station was originally posted connected Facebook successful 2020 with the caption, “self-defense situation”, and it is not related to the Kirk assassination.

Candles and flowers are placed adjacent an representation of Charlie Kirk [Jim Urquhart/Reuters]

Video of a gunman ‘escaping’ is from July successful Nevada

On Thursday, an X idiosyncratic shared a video saying it showed “Charlie Kirk’s existent shooter escaping aft the shooting”. The station gained 9.5 cardinal views.

But a reverse representation hunt showed the video was taken from a antithetic incidental that happened successful July, and successful different state.

KRNV News 4 posted the video connected July 29 connected Facebook, saying constabulary confirmed it showed a suspected gunman escaping after shooting aggregate people at the Grand Sierra Resort successful Reno, Nevada. Three radical died and 3 were injured.