Topline
New York Attorney General Letitia James opened an investigation Wednesday into Twitch, Discord and other social media platforms on which the man accused of carrying out a shooting spree that killed 10 in Buffalo on Saturday allegedly penned his plans for his attack or live-streamed the early minutes of it.
Buffalo Police on scene at a Tops Friendly Market on May 14, 2022 in Buffalo, New York.
Key Facts
The investigation will focus on whether Twitch, 4chan, 8chan, Discord and potentially other platforms helped the gunman “stream, promote, or plan the event,” according to a statement released Wednesday
James called it “bone-chilling and unfathomable” that an individual could post plans to commit such an attack and then live-stream it without anyone taking action to prevent it.
The alleged gunman, Payton Gendron, left cyber footprints plotting his plans on the chat app Discord dated back to at least December, including sharing how he mapped out the grocery store’s layout.
The suspect reportedly livestreamed the attack on Twitch, though the company said it took down the stream less than two minutes after the violence began.
Gendron reportedly used a private Discord server to document his plans to attack members of minority groups, whom he referred to as “replacers,” and said he would livestream the attack on Discord and Twitch.
In a manifesto he allegedly wrote before the shooting spree, Gendron cited the online forum 4chan, which hosted a livestream of a 2019 mass shooting in New Zealand.
Discord, Twitch and 4chan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Key Background
Gendron, 18, has pled not guilty to first degree murder for allegedly shooting 13 people, 11 of whom were Black, at a Top’s Friendly Market, Saturday. The shooter had documented his motives, plans and preparation for a violent attack on a Black community for months before the attack occurred. His online presence was riddled with hatred for targeted groups, white supremascist rhetoric and participation in weapon related forums. He was also previously flagged for a mental health evaluation after making threatening statements at his high school.
Tangent
4chan and 8chan have previously come under scrutiny after leaking the livestream of the 2019 New Zealand mosque attacks that killed 50 people. Australian internet service providers temporarily blocked the sites in 2019.
Further Reading
Buffalo Massacre Suspect Mapped Plans on Discord App for Months (Bloomberg)
Online posts reveal suspected gunman spent months planning racist attack at a Buffalo supermarket (CNN)
Buffalo Shooting Suspect Made ‘Generalized Threat’ At School Last Year, Police Say (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kaliedrago/2022/05/18/new-york-ag-investigating-social-media-platforms-used-by-buffalo-shooting-suspect/