Viral claims identified the wrong man as the shooter, despite his attempts to prove his innocence online.
As panic and fear spread at the news a shooter was unleashing terror at Michigan State University during an attack spanning hours, misinformation quickly circulated online about the unfolding atrocity.
Three people were killed and five more were left with life-threatening injuries, before the shooter fatally shot himself four hours after the first shot rang out at the campus in east Lansing, at 8:18 p.m. on Monday. Terrified students were forced to hide in the dark, the Associated Press reported, with police issuing a shelter-in-place warning that lasted until early Tuesday morning.
Many turned to social media to share news or find out more information, but—in the chaos of the deadly attack—incorrect claims took hold and spread like wildfire.
One viral claim wrongly identified the shooter as a white man called Lynn Dee Walker; in fact, the suspect was a 43-year-old black man who police haven’t yet identified publicly. He was described as a short man who was wearing red shoes, a denim jacket and a baseball cap.
The interim deputy chief of the campus police department, Chris Rozman, told reporters the suspect had died from a « self-inflicted gunshot wound » after being confronted by officers. He was neither a student nor an employee of the university, and had no affiliation with Michigan State, Rozman added. « We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight. That is part of our ongoing investigation. »
But, by then, a false name was already being circulated online.
Most of his face wasn’t visible, but he had brown hair. The caption read: « #BREAKING: Michigan State University SHOOTING SUSPECT is 21 year old ‘Lynn Dee Walker’ according to dispatch audio.
