'Verified' X Accounts Are Spreading Misinformation About Maine Shooter Still at Large

Shelter-in-place orders are in effect in Maine after a deadly mass shooting in Lewiston on Wednesday night left at least 18 people dead and 13 more injured. Authorities are still searching for the shooter, who they believe to be Robert Card, a 40-year-old certified firearms instructor and U.S. Army reserve member. Police say Card is still at large, and they have not announced any arrests in relation to the shooting. 

Viral posts from “verified” users on X (formerly Twitter), however, claim that the main suspect has been taken into custody. 

Many of these posts all share the same video, which shows a man in a black sweatshirt and white pants surrendering to a team of police officers in the middle of a road. These claims are the latest development in the rampant proliferation of misinformation on X, which decimated its content moderation team after billionaire Elon Musk purchased the site. Compounding the issue of misinformation on the platform are changes that allow anyone to purchase a blue checkmark—which previously indicated the account belonged to a real, typically notable person such as a journalist or lawmaker—by becoming Premium users for $8 per month. X still refers to the blue checks as "verification checkmarks." 

“This just in! Lewiston law enforcement take this man into custody,” at least three of the posts read. “He’s wearing light-colored pants w white sneakers. Same clothing the shooter is wearing. Waiting for the press conference.” The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office shared images of the shooter in a Facebook post, which show that he was last seen wearing a brown sweater, black pants, and carrying an assault rifle.

One post by a "verified" Premium account claiming an arrest was made on Wednesday night was viewed over 186,000 times, gaining nearly 500 retweets and over 1,000 likes. Another post by a Premium account called “Breaking News” with a paltry 1,550 followers claimed an arrest was made in connection to the shooting on Thursday morning and received over 160,000 views. Both of these posts remain online at the time of writing.

The post by “Breaking News” shared a video showing a person being picked up off the ground by a police officer with their hands behind their back. A Snapchat location filter on the video says it was taken in Auburn, Maine, which is less than a mile away from Lewiston. 

This is not the first time verified X users have spread misinformation. In May, numerous verified accounts with large followings spread fake images of an explosion near the Pentagon. Government officials said within hours after the images were posted that there had been no explosion. In the immediate aftermath of Hamas' attack on Israeli citizens earlier this month, the platform was also saturated with misinformation despite X acknowledging the situation required the "highest level of response."

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office has not posted an update saying Card has been taken into custody, nor have shelter-in-place orders been lifted. Maine police have, however, said that Card faces eight counts of murder, and have issued an arrest warrant. 

“I can’t stress this enough, this is an ongoing investigation in the early stages,” said Col. William Ross of the Maine State Police in a press conference on Thursday morning. FBI Special Agent Jodi Cohen, who spoke after Ross, pledged the agency’s help in “this very active investigation.”

“Maine State Police have issued a shelter-in-place order for Lewiston, Lisbon, and Bowdoin,” Maine Governor Janet Mills said in the conference. “Mr. Card is considered armed and dangerous, and police advise that Maine people should not approach him under any circumstances.” 

When reached for comment, X sent Motherboard a boilerplate response email saying, “Busy now, please check back later.”

With reporting from Mack Lamoureux.