A Kentucky student who started the entire Louisville purge hoax is now saying he did not intend to create panic or to cause a viral sensation that is spreading to cities throughout the United States.
In a related report by The Inquisitr , the idea behind a real life purge started when a photo using the description “Louisville’s the Purge” spread like wildfire on Facebook and Twitter. Rumors even began claiming that a Detroit purge may be in the works in addition to a Louisville purge. Now that the 12 hours of mischief are upon us, some on social media are claiming they’ve heard reports of shootings, men in purge masks, and roving gangs .
The Iroquois high school student was not named for his own protection, but in an interview with reporters it was claimed that Louisville purge rumor started as a joke photo that was never intended to be taken seriously:
“It was originally supposed to be just a fun thing, I never thought it’d get as serious as it did. I was really shocked the first time I saw local media covering it. The police came to my house yesterday. I told them I was just joking around. I was sitting in my house and watching ‘The Purge,’ and I thought of the tweet and picture that started it. But didn’t think it’d get that big from there. I didn’t mean any harm by this at all. I love my city.”
Regardless of the history of the Louisville purge, a spokesman for the Louisville Metro Police Department claimed they were taking the possibility of a Louisville purge very seriously:
“A number of people have reached out to us. We’re going to take any threat that we receive seriously, particularly one that encourages and incites violence against our community. We’re going to take that seriously and investigate that as thoroughly as we can. As a department, I believe that we’re adequately prepared for anything that could arise.”
A leaked FBI memo also claimed that gangs in the area had planned to raise havoc at various big events during the summer, but fortunately those threats never arose. The threat of the Louisville purge did cause some community events to be cancelled or postponed, and many feel it’s better to stay inside rather risk a real life purge.
In addition to the Louisville purge, it’s rumored that some people are planning mischief in coming weeks in the cities of Jacksonville, Florida, Detroit, Michigan, and Cleveland, Ohio.