Late on Sunday evening and through the night into Monday, chaos continued in Las Vegas as a gunman opened fire from high above a country music concert. As of Monday afternoon, at least 58 people had died and more than 500 additional people were wounded, but the investigation was still ongoing. As more information began coming out about the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history , there was also a lot fake news and one hoax after another being passed around.
As soon as a serious situation takes place, people began looking around online to find out whatever additional information they can. Some of it is real, while the majority of it is not accurate at all, and that is due in large part to it still being very early in the investigation.
Unfortunately, the stories are shared on Facebook and Twitter before knowing all the facts.
While the country is washed in tragedy and sadness, there are others who are using social media to their advantage. Many will make up entirely false stories and fake news so that they can have it go viral and have some small sense of fame.
Those are the kinds of stories you need to be on the lookout for as the investigation into the shooting continues.
Fake Suspects
Multiple shooters confirmed, this is one of the few pictures of the suspects together. Please RT #vegasshooting #mandalaybay pic.twitter.com/1sztW9m1mm
— Spooky????Bard (@WholesomeBard) October 2, 2017
This image being passed around is incredibly untrue, and the four people featured in it have nothing to do with the Las Vegas shooting. As reported by the New York Times , 64-year-old Stephen Paddock has been confirmed as the one and only shooter, and he opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
That image and many others of comedian Sam Hyde are being shared around social media, as is always the case after a mass shooting.
Another report from the Washington Post stated that a man named Geary Danley was the “confirmed” shooter in the Las Vegas massacre, but he wasn’t. It appears that a number of people say an archived version of Danley’s Facebook page said he had been married to a Marilou Danley, but it wasn’t the same one associated with Paddock.
Coordinated Attacks
Newsweek has confirmed that there were no coordinated attacks as many started reporting overnight after the shooting in Las Vegas. Some tweets were saying that multiple Las Vegas hotels had active shooters or bombs, while some said that it was true terrorism.
LAS VEGAS POLICE: Stay clear of Luxor resort – black Audi has wires sticking out, may have a bomb
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) October 2, 2017
If there’s shootings at Mandalay Bay AND New York New York, this isn’t just an active shooting…it’s a terrorist attack
— Ali???? (@Babyygirllali) October 2, 2017
Again, the Las Vegas police have confirmed that there was just one shooter and no coordinated attacks anywhere last night. Paddock was in the Mandalay Bay hotel, and he was not working with anyone else at any other location.
Fake Victims
For some reason, there are photos of fake victims being passed around, and there is no limit to the lows people will reach for this fake news. Pictures are being used of famous soccer players, global politicians, and even porn stars to make it seem as if their family members are dead or missing.
My dad is missing after Las Vegas shooting. Please RT and share. We are distraught #LasVegas #LasVegasShooting #MandalayBay pic.twitter.com/eiDgO0VCbb
— jack sins (@immyxrx) October 2, 2017
As reported by Buzzfeed , this is a photo of an adult film star named Johnny Sins that is being passed around Twitter. The “news” is even being spread around by a Twitter account using the photo of a YouTube star named John who has more than 445,000 followers, but it isn’t really him.
Other fake reports of missing relatives include the following.
- A girl named “Taylor Joshuas”
- One person’s autistic brother
- A photo of someone’s missing nephew using a picture of former Vine star Lil Terio
- Someone’s brother who is a practicing Muslim, but using a picture of a German soccer player Mesut Ozil
- Chelsea forward Eden Hazard is also having his photo passed around as someone’s “brother” missing in the Las Vegas shooting
Early Warnings
According to Express , Marilou Danley is still a person of interest for the Las Vegas police, but early reports said she was warning people that everyone was going to die. There have been mixed reports going around that she warned people on Facebook but also that she was at the concert and telling people they were about to die.
According to local reports Marilou Danley, one of the suspects in the Mandalay Bay shooting was warning people: You’re all going to die.. pic.twitter.com/skGmOgz9MI
— Michelle #MAGA???????? (@chrgdup1973) October 2, 2017
Police have not only confirmed that Danley wasn’t at the Jason Aldean concert, but she wasn’t even in the country at the time the shooting occurred. The “early warning” fake news came about due to an interview that was given by a woman named Brianna who said a woman was escorted out after pushing through the crowd and saying everyone was going to die.
There has been no indication or proof that the woman is in any way related to the shooting.
The Las Vegas shooting is something that is still very fresh, and it is hard to know every single thing that will come from it. Police have even stated that the investigation was ongoing, and it will take quite some time to learn everything about the gunman, his motive, and how many people will lose their lives. Those online need to be very cautious of internet hoaxes or any fake news being passed around right now, as many are doing all they can to go viral.
[Featured Image by David Becker/Getty Images]