FACT CHECK: No, The Michigan State University Shooting Suspect Is Not A 21-Year-Old White Man At Large

Anna Mock | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on Facebook purportedly shows images of the suspect of the recent Michigan State University shooting, claiming he is a 21-year-old white man named Lynn Dee Walker who is still at large.

Twitter/Screenshot

Twitter/Screenshot

Verdict: False

The suspect was identified as Anthony McRae, a 43-year-old black man who committed suicide following the shooting. The man in the photo is of a different person.

Fact Check:

Three students were killed and five wounded during a shooting at Michigan State University’s campus Feb. 13, according to CBS News. Michigan authorities said that the gunman’s motive currently remains unknown, but is under investigation, Reuters reported.

A Facebook post claims that the shooter was a 21-year-old white male named Lynn Dee Walker. The post shared two images of a white man with a goatee and round glasses, with one photo showing him holding up an offensive gesture. (RELATED: Did CNN Air A Chyron Saying The Boulder Shooter Was ‘Factually Arab, But Morally White’?)

“#BREAKING Suspect is Lynn Dee Walker. 21 year old white male,” the caption reads. “He made threats on social media earlier at around 6:30pm.”

The claim is false. The suspect was Anthony McRae, a 43-year-old man who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a tweet from MSU Police’s verified Twitter account. Furthermore, a CNN article shows an image of McRae that does not match the images shown in the Facebook post.

The man in the images is an online content creator named R.Cam. The creator shared one of the photos after allegedly being “doxxed,” where personal information is shared online to intimidate a victim. The photo was posted in October 2020, years before the shooting in Michigan.

The user also urged his followers and any other social media accounts to report any instances of the claim.

Check Your Fact has reached out to MSU Police for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received. 

Anna Mock

Fact Check Reporter

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