Fake Posts Suggest Accomplice in Buffalo Shooting

Posts shared thousands of times on social media claimed the gunman behind a deadly mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, had an accomplice who took a hostage. But local officials, who continue to investigate the crime, have said they believe the shooter acted alone, and a Twitter account behind the claim has been suspended for violating the platform’s policies.

“Friend, wtffffffff, I knew it was more than one,” he said on May 14, 2022. mail on Facebook.

The post includes a screenshot of a tweet that reads: “I’m Simon Butler, I’m an accessory to the Buffalo shooter and I have a hostage, if they don’t release him in the next hour I’ll start taking names.”

A screenshot of a Facebook post taken on May 17, 2022

Similar posts gained traction on Facebook after Buffalo police arrested the gunman accused of killing 10 people and wounding three in what authorities have called a “racially motivated” shooting in a Tops supermarket, which the FBI is investigating as a hate crime.

But the alleged Twitter user who posted the claim was an impostor account that has since been discontinued from the Y platform, local officials said they believe the shooter, who broadcast the attack live, acted alone.

Simon Hardy Butler, the Twitter user whose name and photo appear in the Facebook post, said on May 14, 2022 cheep: “No, the account posing as mine is not operated by me. It’s a white supremacist, probably one that’s upset that their previous Twitter account was suspended.”

A Twitter spokesman told AFP in a statement that the account, whose username differs slightly from Butler’s, was taken offline for violating the platform’s rules. abusive behavior policiesthat prohibit attempts to “harass, intimidate, or silence another person’s voice.”

Screenshot of a Twitter profile taken on May 17, 2022

AFP was unable to find any other evidence that the gunman behind the Buffalo shooting had an accomplice who recently took a hostage.

Buffalo police said during a May 16, 2022 Press conference that their investigation of the Tops mass shooting was ongoing. Mayor Byron Brown said officials were also looking into threats made on social media.

“Late today, we have been made aware of many social media posts with potential threats,” he said. “I want to be clear: Buffalo Police and our partner law enforcement agencies here are investigating these social media posts and will prosecute if necessary. And I want to emphasize: arrests have already been made.”

On May 15, 2022, the police arrested a Buffalo man accused of making threats in phone calls to a local pizzeria and brewery. Those calls were allegedly in reference to the shooting, according to the Erie County district attorney’s office.

However, when it comes to the shooting itself, local officials have said they believe the gunman did not have an accomplice.

“At this point, it looks like he was on his own,” Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in response to a question during an interview on May 14, 2022. Press conference.

Social media posts attributed to shooting suspect Payton Gendron, 18, indicate that planned the massacre for months and scouted the location ahead of time. Gendron — who hugged the racist “Great Replacement” theory – wrote that he targeted Tops because of the large African-American population in the area, according to The Washington Postwho reviewed more than 600 pages of online messages.

AFP has contacted Buffalo police for additional comment.