The claim: Photo shows Georgia school shooting suspect
A Sept. 4 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a hooded figure carrying a long gun.
“This is the Apalachee High School Shooter, and he’s 14,” reads the start of the post.
Other versions of the claim spread widely on X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: False
The photo has been used in active shooter training materials since at least 2015.
Photo appeared in several places before Georgia shooting
Officials identified the suspect in the Sept. 4 school shooting that killed four people in Winder, Georgia, as 14-year-old Colt Gray, USA TODAY reported. Gray was a student at the school.
But the photo in the social media posts predates the attack by at least eight years.
The same frame can be seen in a 2015 news clip about Indiana State Police active shooter training, as well as in a training video the agency published the following year. It can also be seen on the agency’s resource page for its trainings on responding to an active shooter.
The photo was also included in a training manual from Reflex Protect, a company that sells safety products and training.
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USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims about mass shooting suspects, including false assertions that videos and an image showed the suspect in the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
USA TODAY reached out to the Indiana State Police, Reflex Protect and users who shared the claim for comment. One Facebook user said they came across the photo from another source, and an X user who shared the claim later acknowledged the photo was unrelated to the Georgia shooting.
Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
Indiana State Police, accessed Sept. 5, Unarmed Response to Active Shooter Events
Reflex Protect, accessed Sept. 5, Sessions 5 and 17 – Survive a Shooting: Active Shooter Response
Indiana State Police (YouTube), Jan. 26, 2016, Unarmed Response to an In-School Active Shooter Event
WRTV (YouTube), Dec. 8, 2015, ISP opens up active shooter training to the public
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, this photo doesn’t show Georgia shooting suspect | Fact check
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Publish date : 2024-09-05 23:30:00
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