Charleston Church Shooting a Hoax: Facts Analysis

Story:

Charleston Church Shooting is a Hoax.

Other Versions

The South Carolina Church Mass Shooting is a Hoax.

Analysis:

Various stories, pictures and videos in wide circulation online claim that the 17 June 2015 mass shooting in the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston (South Carolina) that killed 9 people and left some wounded is a hoax. The claim is possibly fact, as discussed in detail below.

Picture Suggesting Charleston Church Shooting a Hoax — Charleston Church Shooting a Hoax

About the Shooter Dylann Roof

Dylann Roof is the 21-year-old high school dropout who is accused of gunning down nine parishioners in America’s oldest black (African-American) churches. The reason being told by officials, he hates black people’s increasing domination, that it was a race-hatred crime incident. U.S. FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) authorities have also revealed a personal website lastrhodesian.com ‘probably’ belonging to Dylann Roof, where he posted various photographs of him at confederate heritage sites and slavery museums along with a manifesto. Police authorities stated that Dylann Roof confessed to the killing, and that he wanted a ‘Race War’, because he feared black people were taking control over the nation.

Pictures of Dylann Roof

According to an article on globalresearch.ca that used foto forensics (digital picture analysis), the widely-circulated photograph of Dylann Roof wearing his jacket with the historic patches denoting Africa’s colonial past (picture below), i.e. white supremacy, is possibly manipulated. Some skeptics also said many other pictures of Dylann Roof show him in ‘casual’ looks and do not really depict hatred or any related crime intentions.

Friends’ and Family’s Reaction

Some of the friends of Dylann Roof (who are also black) say that he was not a racist and were surprised to hear about the shooting massacre along with Dylann Roof’s parents.

Crisis Actors?

The reactions of the family members of the deceased people in church shooting have raised questions whether they are crisis actors. This is because they appear calm and composed (also smiling at times) during the interviews given to various news media. Moreover, all the victims’ families forgive facing the alleged killer Dylann Roof during his bond hearing in court. You can see it in the first video; also to note the calm and composed behavioral expressions of Dylann Roof. He has been like that in most other public appearances as well.

Wrong Time Stamp of Dylann Roof Footage

As a primary evidence of crime suspect, officials released a brief clipping of Church CCTV footage showing Dylann Roof entering the same (second video in this article). However, the time stamp in the clipping reads — 7/06/2015 08:16:58 WED — which does not reflect the correct date and time of the Charleston Church Shooting incident.

Shooting During Federal ‘Active Shooter Drill’

It is surprising to know that the Church Shooting incident happened during a Federal ‘Active Shooter Drill’ in Charleston that was scheduled from 15th to 19th of June 2015.

Charleston ASTITP – Active Shooter Threat Instructor Training Program C_ASTITP-501 06/15/2015 06/19/2015

This reminds us of all the similar pattern that took place during the Sandy Hook school mass shooting incident. It was again a possibly staged hoax.

Racist, and not Terrorist?

After the church shooting incident, it has to be noted that most media in United States called the alleged killer Dylann Roof a Racist, and not Terrorist. Terrorism, by definition, is the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. A blog article on washingtonpost.com describes why blacks see Dylann Roof as a terrorist and whites don’t. The article also mentions that post 9/11 attacks in U.S., homegrown extremists are tied to a deadlier toll than Jihadists.

To Conclude

Considering all the aforementioned facts and flaws, the Charleston Church Shooting that occurred on 17th June 2015 – during a Federal ‘Active Shooter Drill’ – is possibly hoax. Skeptics say it was meant to evoke race crime hatred and bring in Gun control agenda. As per the court order, Dylann Roof is scheduled to reappear in court on 23 October 2015 and on 5 February 2016 before Circuit Court Judge J.C. Nicholson.