Was Adam Lanza really the
only shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary School? Why are there supposed
inconsistencies surrounding the weapons that were used during the
attack? And are some of the parents really “crisis actors” brought in to
make the situation that much more believable?
Those are only a few of the questions
that have been posed by conspiracy theorists who have used the Internet
to virally spread their doubt about the horrific massacre that unfolded
in Connecticut on Dec. 14.
The main crux of the arguments
presented in documentary-style videos is that the Sandy Hook massacre is
either a government-planned hoax intended to lead the nation to
overwhelmingly embrace increased gun control measures. Or, at the least,
those who have put the videos out believe that essential information is
being withheld from the American public surrounding multiple shooters
and other game-changing elements. The motivations of those who have
created these theories are difficult to pin down, as most are spouting
their views anonymously.
A video documenting purported
inconsistencies surrounding the tragedy that killed 20 children and six
adults inside the school has gone viral, gaining more than 11 million
views in just two weeks. And a follow-up “documentary” has also been
released, adding further “evidence” to the claim that the event either
didn’t unfold at all or that it happened contrary to the media narrative
that has been advanced.
To most people, the idea that any of it
is true is repulsive. So we decided to visit the most popular of the
theories and break them down in a point-by-point debunk.
–
In addition to questioning the official
account of weapons used and whether or not crisis actors were employed
by the government, theorists have taken aim at parental reaction to the
shootings and have claimed that memorial pages for the victims were
published before the shooting took place. And these notions only scratch the surface that is the bizarre world of Sandy Hook Trutherism.
The shadowy individual behind the first video, entitled,
“The Sandy Hook Shooting – Fully Exposed”
(30 minutes in length), weaves together sparse details and attempts to
poke holes in the overall story. As for the first video,
Snopes.com,
a web site known for debunking untruthful information, dismissed it as
“a mixture of misinformation, innuendo, and subjective interpretation.”
You can see the clip here:
The second part of the Truther
initiative, titled, “Sandy Hook Fully Exposed” (19 minutes in length)
tackles similar themes, builds upon the first video and attempts to
defend those individuals who are questioning the details associated with
the event. In addition to asking a variety of questions about family
members who lost children, the videos even devote time to questioning
whether “crisis actors” were brought in to speak with media in the wake
of the attack. See Part II, below:
“Isn’t something like Sandy Hook just
what the government needs to start disarming the public so they don’t
have to worry about people being a threat to them anymore?,’ text
embedded in the video reads.
TheBlaze has decided to go through
both videos to provide you with a recap of the major points that
Truthers are raising. In addition to presenting the arguments that those
perpetuating an alleged hoax are positing, you’ll see reasonable
explanations that essentially debunk their claims and questions. In any
crime scene – especially one as traumatic and dramatic as what unfolded
at Sandy Hook – information flows quickly and it isn’t uncommon for
incorrect details to make their way into media. This, as you will see,
is the case when it comes to numerous elements surrounding this tragic
shooting.
THE MAN IN THE WOODS & ADDITIONAL SHOOTERS
Sandy Hook Truthers have spent a great
deal of time and energy reporting about a man who was allegedly chased
in the woods nearby the school; the individual was subsequently
apprehended and the entire spectacle is captured on video — footage that
is now being used to advance the idea that there was another shooter.
The first “expose” shows media interviews with witnesses who claim to
have seen this individual in handcuffs following the incident. If it is
true that there was more than one shooter, this would obviously turn on
its head everything that has been said about a lone murderer (i.e.
Lanza).
The man in the woods, though, isn’t
the only theory about additional shooters floating around. Additionally,
others claim that there were two men who fled the scene in a van.
Initial media reports did say that there may have been more than one
shooter involved, but as the details came in and the events were
clarified, Lanza was the only gunman named and the evidence cleared
every other initial suspect.
While conspiracy theorists continue to
question where these additional suspects are and why the media has
allegedly failed to report about them, there are some pretty convincing
counter arguments and debunks surrounding this matter.
Heavily
armed Connecticut State troopers are on the scene at the Sandy Hook
School following a shooting at the school, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 in
Newtown, Conn. A man opened fire inside the Connecticut elementary
school where his mother worked Friday, killing 26 people, including 18
children, and forcing students to cower in classrooms and then flee with
the help of teachers and police. (AP Photo/The Journal News, Frank
Becerra Jr.) MANDATORY CREDIT, NYC OUT, NO SALES, TV OUT, NEWSDAY OUT;
MAGS OUT Photo: Frank Becerra Jr., AP
The Newtown Bee, a local outlet,
reported that a law enforcement official told them that the man seen in
the woods had a gun and was nearby the school. He was apparently an
off-duty tactical squad police officer from a nearby area. Also, Chris
Manfredonia, the father of a 6-year-old student at the school, was
handcuffed briefly by police after he ran around the school in an effort
to find his daughter. And another unidentified man was briefly
detained, but later released when he was found to be an innocent
bystander,
Snopes.com claims.
Those being interviewed by media
likely saw one of these individuals, leading Truthers to suspect
something sinister. Lt. Paul Vance, a media relations representative
with the State of Connecticut, dismissed the notion that there were
other shooters, while also highlighting and confirming the fact that
authorities did end up detaining and quickly releasing other
individuals.
“Were there other people detained?,” Vance
rhetorically asked.
“The answer is yes. In the height of the battle, until you’ve
determined who, what, when, where and why of everyone in
existence…that’s not unusual.”
THE WEAPONS USED INSIDE THE SCHOOL & THE VICTIMS’ BODIES
Another point of contention that
Truthers seem to be focusing upon is the weapons that Lanza used in
committing his crime. In the first video, the narrator claims that,
according to media, three guns were found at the scene (two handguns and
one assault rifle). Four handguns were also allegedly found inside the
school. The inconsistency here comes from the Dr. H. Wayne Carver II,
the chief medical examiner, who said following the incident that the
assault rifle appeared to be responsible for the children’s deaths.
Here’s why Truthers are jumping all
over the claims surrounding the assault rifle. The first video alleging a
hoax claims that this particular weapon was later recovered from the
trunk of the car that Lanza was driving. If this is the case, then
critics are questioning how Carver’s claims could be possible. The
shooter clearly couldn’t have used the assault rifle to commit his
crimes if the weapon was in the trunk of the car the entire time.
In this photo illustration a Rock River Arms AR-15 rifle is seen on December 18, 2012 in Miami, Florida. Credit: Getty Images
But there’s an understandable answer
here as well. A few days after the attack, clarity surrounding the guns
finally emerged. Lanza
left a shotgun in the car,
but he had three other weapons that were brought into the school – a
Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, a Glock 10 mm and a Sig Sauer 9 mm (the latter
two are handguns). The fourth weapon – the shotgun – was left in the
vehicle’s trunk. Carver was correct in making his claim that it was the
AR-15 that was responsible for the children’s deaths – a firearm that
was not in the trunk as the first video indicates (CNN actually has
a great primer on the weapons that expounds upon this in detail).
While we’re on the subject of Carver, it’s important to
dispel another rumor
– that the parents never saw their children’s bodies. While they did
not identify the bodies in their entirety, pictures of the kids’ faces
were provided to the families. This wasn’t done to be sinister or to
hide details; quite the contrary, the doctor was trying to spare the
families the pain of seeing the horrific injuries the children
sustained, so photos of their faces were used instead.
SCHOOL NURSE’S ALLEGED CLAIMS ABOUT THE KILLER’S MOTHER
Andrea McCarren, a reporter for WUSA,
reported in the wake of the killings about a conversation she had with
Sally Cox, the Sandy Hook school nurse. Cox, who McCarren described as
“fairly traumatized,” apparently told the reporter that she knew the
killer’s mother, a kindergarten teacher at the school. Initially, media
reported that Lanza may have been the son of a teacher, but this was
soon dispelled.
Truthers are questioning this story,
though, obviously wondering how McCarren was given information about the
killer and his mother that ended up being entirely untrue (they argue
that the school nurse should have had the information correct and that
her mention of a teacher at Sandy Hook is curious, especially
considering the details we now know).
During McCarren’s report, the
journalist also said that the nurse expounded, claiming that Cox said
that the kindergarten teacher was kind and exactly the person one would
want his or her children to spend time with. Snopes notes
that the USA Today
also “mistakenly reported…that Nancy Lanza” was a teacher at the
school. Perhaps this report and McCarren’s were based on the same
misinformation.
Sally Cox’s credentials in the State of Connecticut (Photo Credit: CT.gov)
Some have also claimed that
Cox is also not a registered nurse,
but her real name is Sarah and a search of that name does, indeed,
yield results that show that the woman is a registered nurse in the
state’s registration system. Since “Sally” isn’t her birth name, it’s
obvious that a license attacked to that name isn’t available in the
Connecticut database (see above).
ROBBIE/EMILIE PARKER & LYNN/GRACE MCDONNELL
Emilie Parker, one of the 20 children
killed at Sandy Hook, is a central character in Truthers’ questioning,
as they throw a number of theories about her very person and her
family’s reaction to her death into the mix. In addition to claiming
that the young girl was Photoshopped into at least one family image,
those questioning official accounts claim that her father, Robbie
Parker, can be seen getting “into character” before a press conference —
something they dismiss as proof that he may, indeed, be acting or
playing the role of a grieving father.
This latter accusation relies upon
footage of Robbie purportedly laughing before a press conference. In the
clip, he can be seen smiling, taking a moment to compose himself and
then allowing emotion to overtake him. “How many parents are laughing
and joking a day after their first child has been shot,” a text message
reads across the screen in the first hoax video. Later, the words, “I
smell B.S.,” are added to describe the father’s reaction.
The video also claims that Parker
wasn’t in her class photos and that she appears in images with President
Barack Obama following the shooting (something that obviously wouldn’t
be possible had she been killed during the incident). But the below
video explains that the little girl shown in the image is one of
Emilie’s sisters, not the young girl who perished just days before:
At least one other parent was targeted
for the same reason – for appearing too chipper in the wake of losing a
daughter in the horrific incident. Footage of Lynn McDonnell, mother of
a child named Grace, came under scrutiny after the parent spoke with
CNN’s Anderson Cooper about her immense loss. While remembering her
young child, she expressed facial expressions of joy. However,
considering the content of her commentary (she was remembering her young
child) it seemed entirely appropriate (in fact,
TheBlaze covered the inspirational interview when it aired in December).
CHILD SECURITY EVENT PLANNED FOR DEC. 14
Those embracing the notion that Sandy
Hook was a hoax also question an event that was put on by the Division
of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (this department falls
under the state’s Division of Emergency Services and Public Protection).
This particular event was purportedly planned before the shooting and
aimed at helping explore strategies for protecting kids in the result of
emergency situations like what happened that same day at Sandy Hook.
A list of classes that occurred before the training that has come under scrutiny (Photo Credit: CT.gov)
This event did occur, but it isn’t as surprising as some might assume. On the surface,
it may seem odd
that the FEMA class, called “Planning for the Needs of Children in
Disasters,” was offered on the same day that Sandy Hook unfolded. But
this course was also offered six additional times in the state of
Connecticut during November and December. It wasn’t a
rare occurrence only planned on the day of the shooting; it was an event
that had been repeatedly held within the state’s boundaries during
recent days and weeks.
MEMORIAL PAGES & ASSOCIATED INTERNET TIMESTAMPS
The Truthers are particularly fired up
about various memorial pages and social media initiatives that they
claim were created days before Lanza’s crimes at the elementary school.
In addition to teacher Victoria Soto’s Facebook memorial page, which
they claim was created on Dec. 10, four days before the shooting, the
individuals behind the video and movement also point to a GoFundMe
initiative, among others, as also having timestamps that precede the
event.
Inquisitr explained how the Internet, despite being quite advanced, still has its hiccups. Here’s
a brief recap that explains some of the reasons behind date stamps seeming incorrect on various posts and web sites:
To understand the Sandy
Hook websites that seem to have been published early, you must first
understand the way the internet reconciles dates as well as how Google
crawls them. If a page is repurposed to host other information than it
originally displayed, it may show up as having been “published” earlier.
Further, servers and sites often have
incorrect dates. Having used a number of WordPress panels in my career,
it is a job to keep track of where dates and times are set in order to
avoid publishing in the past when scheduling a post, something that
could be at play and an easily explainable factor not often acknowledged
by Sandy Hook truthers.
And given the fact material can run
afoul on an individual computer, a site’s panel and then a search
engine, sites like the United Way’s Sandy Hook page could easily
register as a prior date on Google.
When it comes to Google results –
another target the Truthers point to – the Internet giant isn’t always
correct. Sometimes, search results have the incorrect dates associated
with them, clearly a factor that is overlooked in the conspiracy theory
videos. As for the web sites that seem to have an earlier date stamp,
another theory is that certain donation and Facebook pages that were
created for other reasons were edited and amended to assist with Sandy
Hook efforts following the shooting. While they retained their earlier
creation date, their intended purposes changed.
TheBlaze spoke with Justin Basch, CEO of
Basch Solutions,
a web site production company. The tech expert dismissed conspiracy
theorists’ claims, calling them “nonsense.” He explained the many ways
that dates can be manipulated in WordPress (the platform running at
least one of the web sites at the center of the debate).
“It’s very, very easy to manipulate a
date that content was published — whether it’s through text, whether
it’s through date manipulation, etc.,” Basch explained.
THE SYMPATHETIC AND HELPFUL NEIGHBOR: GENE ROSEN
Then there’s Gene Rosen, the neighbor
who lives nearby Sandy Hook. He began appearing in media immediately
following the shooting, telling of his involvement in housing six
children who had escaped the school that fateful morning. Rosen has been
interviewed numerous times by the mainstream media and he has explained
how he entertained the children inside of his home after they fled the
school in terror.
The Truthers, though, claim that
Rosen’s story has some troubling inconsistencies. Among them, they
charge that he is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG), a
professional union of acting professionals (thus, advancing the theory
that he might be a crisis actor). They also claim that Rosen’s story
about discovering the children in his driveway changed and evolved
during various appearances. While in some interviews he described the
six kids sitting with a female bus driver, in at least one other
account, he described a male adult talking harshly to the children, the
video proclaims.
Additionally, Rosen, a retired
psychologist, told reporters that the children told him their teacher,
Ms. Soto, was dead. Initially, some media reported that only one child
escaped the classroom where the majority of the kids perished, but this
ended up
not being the case
(others seemingly escaped as well). Rosen also said in one interview
that he saw the list of victims not long after the shooting, but
conspiracy theorists claim this isn’t possible, as it wasn’t released
until after the time he claims to have seen it.
A list of casualties, though,
was released the day after the shooting
and, as Snopes documents, the Gene Rosen who is a member of SAG is a
different individual – one who has never lived in Connecticut. The
retired psychologist at the center of this particular case has always
lived in the state (while both are in their 60s, the actor is 62 and the
Newtown resident is 69).
LANZA’S VEHICLE ON THE DAY OF THE SHOOTING
In the second video, which spent some
time defending Truthers against attacks, an bizarre claim is made about
the vehicle that Lanza drove to Sandy Hook on Dec. 14. While it has been
widely reported that the car belonged to his mother, whom he also shot
dead before heading to the school that morning, hoax theorists believe
that the car is registered to a man named Chris Rodia.
While it may be tempting for those
looking for holes in the story to wonder if Rodia was complicit in
helping Lanza with the attack, Snopes.com debunks this, claiming that
Rodia was pulled over at a traffic stop and, thus, ended up being named
on a police scanner.
Salon recaps how this particular element of the story was debunked:
This one was debunked by
the theorists themselves just a few days after the shooting. Blogger Joe
Quinn obtained the police audio, which definitively debunking the myth.
(Rodia appeared on the scanner because he was getting pulled over in a
traffic stop miles away, but his license plate doesn’t match Lanza’s
car). “This was a huge blow, because lots of people were making big
leaps on this … but we now have to look elsewhere,” another amateur
investigator said on YouTube.
To clarify: Rodia is not a suspect and
he did not own the car that Lanza drove to the school, as the video
seems to allege. Rodia was also not at the school at the time of the
shooting.
Snopes claims that “he was driving a different vehicle in another town at the time.”
CRISIS ACTORS DEPICTED IN MEDIA
Truthers’ have gone out of their way
(there’s even a disclaimer at the start of the first video) to claim
that they are not trying to dismiss the event as though it never
happened. Instead, they say that they are merely asking pertinent
questions and, in a sense, exercising their civic duty as caring and
in-tune Americans (a tactic likely being used to separate themselves
from the criticism being thrown their way). Among those curiosities, a
consistent theme emerges: The idea that crisis actors were used.
We already covered Rosen and the
theory that he is one of these individuals. But there are others who are
being dubbed potential crisis actors. One couple in particularly has
come under scrutiny. CNN interviewed Nick and Laura Phelps, parents of
two children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In the exchange, Nick
becomes emotional while describing the principal at the school as “a
very special person.” It’s clear that the family was impacted by what
unfolded.
But Truthers question the motivations,
sincerity and identity of Nick and Laura, claiming that they may
actually be Richard and Jennifer Sexton, two actors from Florida. This
bizarre claim — that the couple was brought in to merely depict parents
who have children at Sandy Hook Elementary, is one of the more curious
ones being floated. The evidence being posited?
The hoax video shows images from an
alleged Picasa account belonging to Richard and Jennifer (the actors).
Those who believe that something isn’t quite right about Sandy Hook
claim that the photo album was deleted after it gained attention. In
addition, Truthers are using a clip showing Laura (or Jennifer) giving
what appears to be an audition or performance.
But Snopes claims that the husband and
wife duos merely resemble one another and that they are not, in fact,
the same individuals. While the videos seem to indicate that there may
be a connection between the Crisis Actors company – a group that
provides actors to simulate traumatic and disastrous events, there is no
connection between the actors provided by the group and the individuals
shown in media interviews. Plus, a simple web search shows that the
family does, indeed, live near the school.
Crisis Actors (the company) also makes
it clear that its performers do not engage in real-life events. While
the video alleges connections between the Sandy Hook families and these
individuals, no such connections exist. In fact,
the company has gone out of its way to dispel such rumors.
See Anderson Cooper address some of these controversies:
UNDERSTANDING THE VIDEOS AND THEIR CREATOR
While the conspiracy-laden clips have
intrigued some, others find themselves completely horrified, sickened
and offended by their contents — especially considering the pain that
the families of Sandy Hook victims have already endured. Following the
publication of the first video, reaction and media coverage was swift.
As noted, the creator of the videos made it a point to vehemently defend
himself against critics.
“This video was made to clear up
confusion and shed light on new information. Apologies to anyone
offended by the past videos,” a caveat at the beginning of the second
clip reads. “[W]e hope this one is easier to digest. Would you rather be
hurt temporarily by the truth, or comforted forever by lies?”
Later, the anonymous individual behind
the clips claims that it is unfair for critics to label him and others
supporting his ideas as “Truthers” – or even “conspiracy theorists.”
Such labels, text embedded in the video reads, implies that those
questioning the event are “over the top, crazy, and against everyone
else.”
“These are millions of everyday people
that deserve answers to their questions,” the text continues. “And it
seems by labeling them like that, it’s easier to dismiss them and not
have to look at the facts.”
Mourners
embrace following funeral services for Connecticut elementary shooting
victim Emilie Parker, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012, at The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Ogden, Utah. Emilie, 6, whose family has
Ogden roots, was one of 20 children and six adult victims killed in a
Dec. 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. Credit: AP
However, those looking to debunk the
Sandy Hook debunkers would dismiss these views as fringe. Even the
person who created, “The Sandy Hook Shooting – Fully Exposed” and its
companion video was surprised by its viral nature. In
an interview with Gawker
before the video released, he seemed surprised by its viral nature,
telling the outlet that he would have “spent more time on it” if he knew
it would be so popular. TheBlaze reached out to him to get further
comment, but we did not receive a response.
“[I]t all started when me and my friends used to research 9/11 in high school,”
said the source,
who refused to identify himself to Gawker. “That’s what really got me
started when it came to researching government cover ups…Once I learned
about all the false flag attacks in history that have been proven to be
true, I knew it was only a matter of time before another came a long.”
Apparently, in the mind of the
individual behind the videos (which were published on a YouTube channel
under the account ThinkOutsideTheTV), Sandy Hook was next in this
purported line of government cover-ups. The individual went on
to tell the outlet
that he felt as though the event was “too perfect” and that the people
and the town involved had an “artificial vibe about them.”
OTHER THEORIES
Since Sandy Hook unfolded, other
conspiracy theories have emerged, although the aforementioned YouTube
clips have become the most pervasive and widespread. TheBlaze already
told you about James Tracy, a communications professor at Florida
Atlantic University (FAU), and
his controversial comments about the Sandy Hook massacre.
Tracy, too, appeared on radio
interviews, where he advanced the crisis actor angle, claiming that the
Obama administration might have deployed these individuals to stage the
attack in an effort to further crack down on guns. On his personal blog,
he cited InfoWars.com as well. Later, he clarified his comments,
claiming that while “one is left with the impression that a real tragedy
took place,” images and information have been withheld from the public.
The entire ordeal, which captured national attention and was
covered by TheBlaze
earlier this month, led FAU to separate itself from Tracy’s comments.
Lisa Metcalf, director of media relations, said, “James Tracy does not
speak for the university.”
In the same Blaze report,
Jason Howerton covered
Dr. James H. Fetzer, a professor emeritus at the University of
Minnesota Duluth (UMD). In an op-ed published in an Iranian
(state-owned, of course) outlet, he charged that, perhaps, the Mossad
(Israeli security forces) were responsible for the attack.
“The killing of children is a
signature of terror ops conducted by agents of Israel,” he wrote. “[W]ho
better to slaughter American children than Israelis, who deliberately
murder Palestinian children?”
Parents
leave a staging area after being reunited with their children following
a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., about
60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of New York City, Friday, Dec. 14,
2012. An official with knowledge of Friday’s shooting said 27 people
were dead, including 18 children. It was the worst school shooting in
the country’s history. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
These, of course, of just two of the
numerous alternative conspiracy theories being floated. There are plenty
of other ideas that have circulated since Dec. 14. However, the growth
in popularity of the latest videos creates some serious questions that
deserve to be answered in order to properly educate readership.
At least one father of a first-grader
at Sandy Hook took the issue to heart, showcasing his frustration in an
on-air phone call that was placed
to radio host Glenn Beck.
The father, named “Pete,” expressed his dismay at the conspiracy
theories, calling Trutherism an “unimaginable way to even look at a
tragedy or horrific event.”
“I was there. I’ve been to the
funerals,” he told Beck. “I know the families very closely. I know a lot
of those children. It happened. It really happened.”
But if thats not convincing enough, consider
BuzzFeed’s logic: ”The
evidence on which these budding theories are based is, even by the
standards of fringe conspiracy theory, remarkably thin, and demand
massive collusion between hundreds of private citizens, the federal
government, local authorities, and the news media.”
While the viral nature of the videos
has begun to simmer, the mainstream media has not provided a level of
coverage that would disseminate the truth fervently enough to dispel the
rumors. Setting the record straight and showcasing the truth, though,
is essential.
It should come as no surprise that the Communist Party USA is on board with President Obama’s plan to attack Americans’ right to keep and bear arms as a means to “end gun violence.” A cardinal feature of communist regimes, like all dictatorships, is the prohibition of private ownership of arms, creating a monopoly of force in the hands of the State.
