FACT CHECK: Was Riley Hospital For Children In Indianapolis Set On Fire During George Floyd Protests?
A viral Facebook post claims that Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana, was set on fire during George Floyd protests.
Verdict: False
A spokesperson for Riley Hospital for Children confirmed it was not set on fire during protests.
Fact Check:
Indianapolis and other U.S. cities have seen protests following the death of Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody after an officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, according to video of the incident.
A viral Facebook post alleges that Riley Hospital for Children was set on fire during such protests, saying, “Riley’s children’s hospital in Indy was set on fire. Do your protest, and looting people all have their own views. When you start f*****g with sick kids. You just turned the world against you!” Similar claims about the hospital circulated on Twitter.
However, a spokesperson for Riley Hospital for Children denied the claim in a phone call with the Daily Caller, stating, “No harm has been done to the hospital.” (RELATED: Were 2 Hospitals Set On Fire During George Floyd Protests In Columbus, Ohio?)
WISH-TV, a local CW affiliate, also debunked the claim that the children’s hospital had been set on fire during protests. Indiana University Health officials said that the Methodist and IU Health University hospitals didn’t sustain any damage either, according to WISH-TV.
This isn’t the first time social media users have claimed hospitals were set on fire during such protests. The Caller recently debunked photos that Facebook users claimed showed two Ohio hospitals set on fire.