Internet hoaxers falsely identify comedian Sam Hyde as Trump shooter

"TRUMP RALLY SHOOTER LOCATED AND APPREHENDED. Pennsylvania local 'Sam Hyde' was found 5 miles from the scene by county police," says a July 13, 2024 X post sharing a photo of a man with glasses carrying what appears to be an assault-style rifle.

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Screenshot of an X post taken July 15, 2024

The claims spread elsewhere on Facebook and Instagram.

Trump was rushed off stage by Secret Service agents after narrowly surviving an assassination after a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing a bystander and critically injuring two attendees before a Secret Service sniper team shot and killed the assailant. The former president said on his Truth Social platform that a bullet "pierced the upper part of my right ear" (archived here).

The attempted assassination has fueled a slew of misinformation and conspiracy theories online -- including posts misidentifying the shooter.

Among them are claims pinning the attack on Sam Hyde, a comedian who has for years been falsely blamed for shootings and other mass casualty events.

The FBI has identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania (archived here).

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An undated image obtained July 14, 2024 shows a driver's license photograph of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected shooter of former US president Donald Trump (AFP / HANDOUT)

The Sam Hyde hoax originated as a meme on 4chan, an anonymous message board. Elected officials have fallen for the long-running meme on multiple occasions.

AFP has debunked other misinformation about the assassination attempt on Trump here.