Ryan Lanza Falsely Identified As Shooter On Twitter, Facebook
Early reports this morning identified 24-year-old Ryan Lanza as the man who shot and killed dozens of students earlier today at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. As news broke about the shooter’s identify, several other people named Ryan Lanza were harassed on Twitter and Facebook.
It was reported earlier today that police had identified the shooter as Ryan Lanza. Armed with the name, journalists started to scour social media profiles to get a glimpse at the killer.
The Facebook profile of one man was linked to by a number of news outlets, including CNN, Slate, and The Inquisitr. Mediate reports that the photo attached to the Facebook profile was shared more than 1,000 times per minute as people speculated that the man in the photo was the Sandy Hook shooter.
That profile has been updated, however, to say that the man in the photo was not the man who shot and killed more than a dozen young students.
“Everyone shut the F*** up it wasn’t me. I’m on the bus home now it wasn’t me. IT WASN’T ME I WAS AT WORK IT WASN’T ME.”
Another man carrying the same name as the alleged killer was also falsely accused of being involved with the Sandy Hook school shooting.
@Ryan_Lanza writes:
“So apparently I’m getting spammed because someone with the same name killed some people… WFT? … I didnt kill anyone, stop spamming my twitter please. and all my other tweets were just jokes because i only had around 20 followers
@RyanLanza_ also saw some unwanted attention today: “Why am I trending?”
Multiple sources are reporting that the shooter has been identified by Ryan Lanza but a photo of the killer has not been released yet.
haha i didnt kill anyone, stop spamming my twitter please. and all my other tweets were just jokes because i only had around 20 followers
— Ryan Lanza (@Ryan__Lanza) December 14, 2012
Looks like that Facebook page of the Ryan Lanza we linked to was incorrect one. Retracting previous Tweet: twitter.com/Fletch788/stat…
— Slate (@Slate) December 14, 2012
According to Fox 8, the shooter may not actually be Ryan Lanza at all. Fox reports that the shooter may have actually been Ryan’s brother, Adam.
Here’s a live video about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
