In the hours after the Texas church shooting, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez of Texas erroneously reported the Texas church shooter was named Sam Hyde – who is in fact a name used in an alt-right meme.
During a phone interview with CNN Gonzalez appeared to report all the information he had on the shooting in Wilson County, Texas.
The Democrat lawmaker stated that the culprit was named ‘Sam Hyde’ during the interview.
‘It was reported to me that he’s actually not from this community. Apparently his name was released as Sam Hyde, that was the name I was given,’ Rep. Gonzalez said.
Following the shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez incorrectly stated that the gunman was a man named Sam Hyde
Time and time again, after numerous mass shooting in the US, the name of prankster and comedian Sam Hyde is widely circulated on social media as the alleged shooter
Hyde is a meme that originated on websites 4Chan and Reddit and whose name has been associated with several shootings in recent years.
The meme sees alt-right figures internet trolls posting pictures of ‘Sam Hyde’ – a white man with glasses and blonde hair, holding a gun, typically with the caption, ‘BREAKING: Shooter confirmed to be Sam Hyde.’
The meme began several years ago as shootings began to take up more media attention.
Media outlets would often rely on unreliable internet sources for information and attempt to be the first to report the gunman’s name.
Other news outlets rushed to dispute the Congressman’s claim that Sam Hyde was the shooter
False reports started circulating on social media that the gunman had been identified as a man named Sam Hyde, but followers on Twitter were quick to point out the error
Alt-right trolls then began to post the ‘Sam Hyde’ meme each time there was a shooting leading to countless legitimate news sources, reporters, and influential figures actually picking it up.
CNN did not attempt to correct or fact check the congressman, although newsroom anchor Ana Cabrera stated that the network had not confirmed the identity of the shooter.
Since 2015, Hyde has been incorrectly reported as the perpetrator of numerous mass shootings and terrorist attacks by internet trolls.
The first instance of this hoax was the Umpqua Community College shooting when CNN mistakenly included Hyde’s image on their coverage of the shooting.
Hyde has also been erroneously blamed for the 2015 San Bernardino attack, the 2016 UCLA shooting, the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, the shooting of Alton Sterling, the suspicious death of a black man in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, the 2015 Paris attacks, the 2016 Munich shooting, the 2016 Kalamazoo shootings, the 2017 Finsbury Park attack ad most recently, the 2017 Las Vegas Strip shooting.
Since 2015, Hyde has been incorrectly reported as the perpetrator of numerous mass shootings and terrorist attacks by internet trolls
Rep Vicente Gonzalez told CNN that Hyde was the man shot 26 people dead at the First Baptist Church. The shooter has since been identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26