The identification of Chad Williams as the mass shooting suspect who killed three in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday sparked a massive interest in the deceased 24-year-old.
The shooting, which took place around 2:29pm MDT on Saturday, left three people dead and at least seven injured. Simultaneously, it sparked a slew of misinformation surrounding the shooter's identity. Such had been the impact of the misinformation that even Twin Falls Police Chief referred to them at his Sunday presser. Chief Mathew Hicks confirmed that one of the individuals falsely identified as the shooter had "no involvement in this incident whatsoever." Hicks added that Chad Williams died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
But despite Chief Hicks' plea, the misinformation and speculation far from stopped, even after the identity of the shooter was confirmed.
Also read: Chad Williams: 5 things to know about the Idaho Twin Falls shooting suspect
Was Chad Williams' Social Media Handles Deleted?
Many claims about Chad Williams went viral on Sunday afternoon even as police released few details about the 24-year-old. The Twin Falls Police only said that Williams "acted alone" and his parents was cooperating in the probe to unearth the motive of the shooting.
{{/usCountry}}Many claims about Chad Williams went viral on Sunday afternoon even as police released few details about the 24-year-old. The Twin Falls Police only said that Williams "acted alone" and his parents was cooperating in the probe to unearth the motive of the shooting.
{{/usCountry}}As is usual with cases like this, Chad Williams was looked up by internet-sleuths. But they were unable to find the social media handles of the 24-year-old or any digital footprint prior to the mass shooting on August 1. Amid the frustration, claims went viral that Chad Williams' social media accounts were purportedly scrubbed before the latter's identity was released by the police earlier this afternoon.
"Have they scrubbed Chad Williams Social media accounts yet? When they don't know much about the shooter it's usually a Leftist Flake," a user wrote, sparking speculations about the political identity of the shooter.
However, Ht.com can confirm that there are no reports or evidence to suggest that Chad Williams' social media were removed before he was identified. There are also no confirmed reports about Williams' political leanings, despite viral claims connecting him to both Democrats and MAGA.
Similarly, the social media handle of one Chad Williams was doxed by some accounts, which sparked a viral claim that Williams purportedly worked in the US Navy. But the links have no basis, as the police have not released any information about Chad Williams, as of now.
Two victims, one killed and one injured, were employees of In-N-Out Burger, the company confirmed on Sunday. The other victims have not been identified.