Old active shooter training photo misrepresented as Georgia school gunman
- Published on September 6, 2024 at 20:50
- 3 min read
- By Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA
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"#BREAKING: First Photo of Active Shooter at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia," says a September 4, 2024 post shared widely across X.
The image shows a hooded man carrying an assault weapon, his face fully covered.
Similar posts spread the picture across X and other platforms such as Threads, as the alleged shooter -- also a student at Apalachee High School -- was taken into custody.
The teen, identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, had been brought to the FBI's attention more than a year ago for threats to commit a school shooting, authorities said. He is being charged as an adult and faces four felony murder counts for killing two fellow pupils as well as two teachers.
The suspect's father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, has also been charged with manslaughter in the incident, the latest chapter in America's gun violence crisis.
The picture circulating online, however, does not show the younger Gray.
A reverse image search revealed the same picture posted to the Indiana State Police's website, under a section about resources and training aids meant to help educators prepare for the possibility of an active shooter event (archived here).
The page links to training videos posted to YouTube on January 26, 2016 (archived here and here).
In two of the videos, the sweatshirt-wearing gunman appears as part of a scripted shooting scene.
The clips then freeze to show the same still of the man that is now being misrepresented online, with a narrator explaining several options for how teachers can respond to warnings of a shooter, including locking down inside a classroom.
The same character features in several other scenes throughout the training films. Closing credits name a state trooper as the actor playing the "bad guy" role.
Ron Galaviz, chief public information officer for the Indiana State Police, confirmed in a September 5, 2024 email to AFP that the image spreading online "comes from the Indiana State Police's 'Unarmed Response to an Active Shooter Event' presentation video."
Galaviz added that the department produced the video "in or around 2013."
The image is also used in a training presentation from Reflex Protect, a safety company that provides a self-defense spray and training.
Booking photos and footage from his first appearance in court show the true appearance of the Apalachee High School suspect.
AFP has debunked misinformation about prior shootings here.
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