Nationwide: Wal-Mart Shootings Scare A Hoax – Threat Not Over
Even I am guilty of buying into this but, hey, better safe than sorry.
Last night (18March2009) there was an elaborate rumor/hoax that spread across the nation, widely via text message, that there were going to be “gang initiation shootings” at Wal-Marts across the nation.
There were many variations of the hoax nationwide–the one that concerned me was out of Tucson, Arizona and threatened that the gangs were going to murder three women at local Wal-Marts that night.
But, alas, the scare was largely a hoax, with no real threat behind it. See the LA Times story here.
However, it is very important to realize that once a threat like this has been so widely publicized, it is a very real possibility that there will be “copycat criminals” who will get ideas from the threat and, in the worst of scenarios, carry them out themselves.
Remember the Columbine school shootings? And the huge number of similar shootings in the following weeks?
If you’re a Wal-Mart shopper, don’t stop shopping there–that’s being ridiculous–but keep your eyes open and maintain your situational awareness. Wal-Mart may not be as safe as it used to be.