Particle.news
Download on the App Store
13 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Investigators Release Person-of-Interest Images in Kirk Killing, Say Rifle Recovered as Manhunt Continues

Misleading posts alongside AI tools wrongly named innocents, prompting threats and police reports.

A drone view shows the reported location of the shooter on a rooftop, at the scene where U.S. right-wing activist, commentator, Charlie Kirk, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Cheney Orr
A drone view shows the scene where U.S. right-wing activist, commentator, Charlie Kirk, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Cheney Orr
Members of the FBI forensics team work at a wooded area, near the reported possible escape route of the shooter of U.S. right-wing activist, commentator, Charlie Kirk, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Cheney Orr TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Image

Overview

  • Authorities say they recovered a bolt-action rifle believed to be used in the Utah Valley University shooting and released rooftop images of a college-age person of interest, with no arrest announced after two people detained at the scene were released.
  • A fake X account impersonating Nevada station Fox 11 Reno helped seed a viral claim naming Toronto retiree Michael Mallinson as the shooter, which Sinclair Broadcast Group said was an impersonation it is seeking to shut down.
  • Mallinson, 77, told reporters he was in Toronto during the attack, contacted local police, deactivated his social media, and is weighing legal options after posts labeling him the killer drew millions of views and abusive messages.
  • Another person misidentified online, a 29-year-old transgender woman in Washington state, provided bank records and iPhone location data showing she was in Seattle and reported receiving threats as her image spread across platforms.
  • AI systems added to the confusion, with xAI’s Grok and Perplexity’s bot issuing incorrect responses that repeated false claims or cast doubt on real statements before later posts acknowledged the errors.