VERIFY: Mount Tabor shooting rumors | #schoolshooting

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — As law enforcement rushed in to secure the scene at Mount Tabor High School and catch the suspect, there were so many rumors flying around on social media that Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough said all those tweets and Facebook posts made their job protecting the kids harder.

So to set the record straight, let’s verify the top four claims that floated around all day. 

The first rumor was three people were shot because people saw three ambulances leave the school.

That one is false. Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson said one student was shot, and two had to get medical treatment for other reasons. One student had a seizure during all the stress of today and the other fell down while trying to get away.

Next up, a claim that this shooting was gang-related. At the news conference Wednesday, reporters directly asked if the shooting was gang-related.

“This is early in the investigation,” Kimbrough said. “There are so many moving parts right now. There are so many things yet to be done. So, I have no way of knowing that question as of yet.”

Not really a clear answer there. So we’re going to move that one to the questionable category for now. 

There were also claims all day that the shooter tried to target other schools. For now, that one is false according to Winston-Salem police. Other schools were placed on lockdown but a tweet from Winston-Salem police said, “Many schools in the area are on lockdown out of an abundance of caution. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANOTHER INCIDENT.”

There was also a claim that there was a second shooting at the Harris Teeter where parents were supposed to pick up their kids. Our crews on the scene heard a woman screaming that there had been a shooting. The sheriff’s department originally said shots were fired after the suspect was seen running across the parking lot. Once the dust settled, the department tweeted, “There was a disturbance in the area of the Harris Teeter off Peace Haven, but there is not a confirmation of a second shooting. No injuries reported.” 

Since police could not confirm the shooting that one also goes into the false category.

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