Pro-Trump accounts spent hours trying to frame left-wing activist Geary Danley for the shootings in Las Vegas, saying he was a “liberal targeting Trump supporters”.
Police say at least 50 people are dead and more than 200 injured following a terrorist attack in Nevada.
The attacker fired on concertgoers on the strip and has since been shot dead. The gunman has been named as 64-year-old local Stephen Paddock.
But several pro-Trump accounts tried to frame Danley before police confirmed the identification of the gunman.
They described him as “left wing progressive, registered Democrat, Rachel Maddow fan and anti-Trump”.
Stephen Paddock has been identified as the shooter. Don’t forget that pro-Trump accounts spent hours accusing Geary Danley, an innocent man. pic.twitter.com/4RFtYhafDq
— Erika Heidewald ? (@erikaheidewald) October 2, 2017
Russian “bots” have been blamed for trying to frame Danley, spreading posts on social media before verified sources confirmed the shooter was Paddock.
However confusion could have originated for searches for Marilou Danley, the shooter’s companion, who is the girlfriend of Stephen Paddock.
GEARY DANLEY the shooter. An anti Trump Racheal Maddow fan. CONFIRMED https://t.co/SttC6HfHOI
— Matt Blackwood (@MT6Green) October 2, 2017
This thread from Buzzfeed Deputy Global News Director Ryan Broderick is well worth reading in full:
Here Are All The Hoaxes Being Spread About The Las Vegas Shooting #MandalayBay https://t.co/L79J6iLuqU via @BuzzFeedNews pic.twitter.com/l2p9KOt8M7
— Ryan Broderick (@broderick) October 2, 2017
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