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Walmart Gang Initiation: Shooting Texts a Mass Urban Legend Hoax
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by Tina Kells | March 19, 2009 at 02:21 pm
62094 views | 38 Recommendations | 458 comments
Reports of a text message about a gang initiation stunt requiring the random shooting of people at a Walmart are a hoax. (See the comments stream below for a growing list of people in different parts of the United States and Canada who have received this hoax text)
Please continue to add any reports of text messages received to the comments stream below. This story appears to be a bigger issue than first reported and the fear it is generating is very real. People are texting and messaging loved ones and friends, "don't go to Walmart" and the hoax is testing the limits of viral fear.
Rumors of plans for a Walmart gang initiation shooting spree in Springfield, Kentucky were reported by some local media outlets. Kentucky police immediately responded that they had received no such reports but people remained panicked.
Many people called KY3 News starting about 2:15 p.m. Thursday to say they received this text message on their cellular telephones: "do not go to wal-mart tonight. gang initiation to shoot 3 women. not sure what wal-mart and confirmed on TV."
This message is a hoax. Springfield police know nothing about it. KY3 News did not report it or start the text message.
Snopes.com, which debunks or verifies electronically-spread rumors spread, says this hoax, or a variant of it, has been around since 2005.
More reports of other planned Walmart shootings popped up in other states suggesting the urban legend may be part of a targeted rumor spreading spree. Police in Florida were also dealing with false reports of a gang initiation shooting in an Orange County Walmart store.
The messages claim that either on Wednesday night or Thursday three women and possibly two men would be murdered at a Florida Walmart parking lot as part of a gang initiation
Officials in South Florida said it’s nothing but a rumor that's been going on for years.
On Wednesday evening, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said they haven’t heard of the rumor in this area, but then again it’s nothing to worry about.
A spokesperson with Walmart said Wednesday the company is aware of the e-mail.
They told News 13 the security of its employees and customers are a top priority, and even though they believe this is just a rumor, they are taking it seriously and working with local authorities to beef up security measures.
Officials also said the age of technology could be why this rumor is spreading so quickly as people simply forward the email to their friends and family.
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The Walmart shooting hoax is well known to police as an urban legend. The idea of a random shooting spree as a gang initiation first made the rounds in 2005 and continues to pop up from time to time.
Known as the Wal-Martyred hoax it usually includes a text message being sent claiming a woman, child or elderly person will be killed by gang wannabes. The latest incarnation of this urban legend had gang initiates targeting three women in a Walmart shooting spree.
WAL-MARTYRED
Claim: Gang initiates must assault or kill a woman, child or elderly person at a Wal-mart.
FALSE
E-mails circulated, warning of deadly gang initiations involving the killing of women and children who were shopping at Walmart.
But no such slayings were ever reported, Snopes reports.But like the e-mails telling of gang initiations the involve the killing of drivers who flash their headlights at oncoming cars or the dire warnings a couple of years ago how new gang members are knocking on doors and killing whoever answers, the rumor just keeps on trucking.
Over the year, it has circulated with variations and "new" details, as such e-mail hoaxes tend to do.
UPDATES:
The story of the Walmart gang initiation hoax texts continues to deepen. A growing number of reports have surfaced across the United States about various text messages of this nature being received (see comment stream below). It appears that this is a massive shooting hoax that is occurring nationwide.
A comment made to this story suggested a shooting in Chattanooga had happened but further investigation by NowPublic revealed it was also part of the hoax.
Several local law enforcement agencies are reassuring the public that reports of a shooting at a Wal-Mart is nothing but a hoax.
Sergeant Jerri Weary with Chattanooga Police says her department received several phone calls reporting a text message about a shooting at the Hamilton Place Wal-Mart as part of a gang initiation. Sgt Weary said it's nothing but a hoax that's been reported in several states but has not proved to be valid. She says the text warning was sent out Wednesday advising people to stay away from Wal-Mart because people would be shot and killed. Sgt Weary emphasized there have been no reported incidents at any of the Chattanooga area Wal-Marts.
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at 14:06 on March 21st, 2009
It's made it's way all the way to Vancouver, Canada now!
at 14:26 on March 21st, 2009
i didnt get this message well prob because i dont have friends and no one has my number
at 15:14 on March 21st, 2009
I got this text from about 5 or 6 people. But then a friend of mine on facebook said it was a hoax and to google it. So I did... I didn't know it was all over the country!!! Just thought it was in my state! LOL
at 18:46 on March 21st, 2009
BC, Vancouver. Someone at work sent it to me. Didn't send it to anyone though cause I didn't think Police would confirm something like this as it would create mass fear.
at 18:47 on March 21st, 2009
Wow this thing has really gotton outta hand! I live in Knoxville, TN and I got the message 2 days ago. I forwarded it to everyone I know and had them scared to death, cuz in this day in time you never know it really could be true, but I also do believe that there is no way gang members are gonna annoce it before they do it, that would be stupid then cops would be everywhere and the gang members wouldn't be able to go through with it. Therefore if it really were true you know the gang is really upset and prolly set it up for another time unannouced. Who knows?!!!
at 19:37 on March 21st, 2009
They found a gang member with a gun in a Wal-mart here in Brazoria County. They closed down the Wal-mart temerparly. I live in Alvin, Texas.
at 22:06 on March 22nd, 2009
When this happen? i live in brazoria county too and i didn't knew nothing about it....
at 20:04 on March 21st, 2009
Las Vegas NV and its also happening here
at 04:31 on March 22nd, 2009
omqq i qot the sameee text.!
&& ilive in Phoenix Az.
its weird thou.? why would they shoot 3 women.?
at 09:29 on March 22nd, 2009
my friend just sent me the txt and we're in missouri- crazy stuff
at 11:19 on March 22nd, 2009
Same in San Diego, Ca
at 13:33 on March 22nd, 2009
if anyone of these stupid idiots hurt any of my loved one,I will peel them alive literally!I will hunt them down and chop them into tiny pieces.I hate gangsters and wannabes.they should be burned alive!
at 18:04 on March 22nd, 2009
Received it in Canton, Ohio...also, stated that the first woman was shot in the Walmart off Route 62 toward Alliance, Ohio. But, didn't get this confirmed as of yet..looking into it though. Said it was the 33rd street gang?? which is a local gang in our area. Hmmmm???
at 23:32 on March 22nd, 2009
My brother called me about this today. We live in Sacramento......texts sure do spread like the almighty virus!!!!! He said it was in South Sacramento on Florin and Franklin which is a VERY believable place for this crap to happen. Glad it's not real!!!!
at 04:41 on March 23rd, 2009
Got the same message here in Columbus, GA. Heard that someone was shot here though.
at 05:57 on March 23rd, 2009
at 07:47 on March 23rd, 2009
I have received this txt message and it said that it wasn't just wal-mart but target also and it also said three women and three children. It said nothing about elderly people, but as most rumors go, things change along the way, so it's hard to believe one thing.
at 11:32 on March 23rd, 2009
I just got the msg too and I'm in toronto, can!
at 11:36 on March 23rd, 2009
Just received this in the southwest Chicago suburbs
at 11:37 on March 23rd, 2009
yeah alot of people in the whatcom county in washington received this text not to go to walmart? is it real? alot of ppl did not go to walmart on friday.....
at 12:44 on March 23rd, 2009
Got one from Vancouver, Canada a couple of days ago, it was a text message about a potential untargeted shooting of 3 women and it being confirmed on the news, which lead to me trying to find the news report that confirms this, but I discovered a lot of website saying that it's a hoax instead. Fortunately, the only Walmart is far from my home, so I wasn't too worried about it.
at 17:53 on March 23rd, 2009
I had received that almost 2 weeks ago. I didn't forward it cause I thought it was just another chain message. I didn't know it was a real panic even though it is a hoax. Like Lauren said, I live in South Carolina and I can't believe it traveled from state to state.
at 07:14 on March 24th, 2009
ok wedensday night my band got back from Disney world at like 2:30 in the morning and i went to walmart to get gas. I hadn't gotten any messages or anything about this thing. While i was leaving the parking lot i saw about 80 people standing in the parking lot like in lines. I had been on a bus for over 28 hours and just assumed they were like doing community service which yes sounds stupid but i was tired and idk...they looked like criminals. The only reason it scared me a bit was because there were like 2 cars in the parking lot and it was completely quiet there was nobody talking or anything. So i left. Then yesterday my friend told me what he had heard. Nobody got shot. It wasn't on the news. So what did i see. I am not denying it because it does sound like a hoax but.....what were those people doing and why were they standing in like lines in a rectangle and why was is so quiet? just curious. I live in texas BTW
at 07:15 on March 24th, 2009
This happend in San Antonio, TX there was a shooting but no details at the moment.
at 11:24 on March 24th, 2009
i got it ten times i think it waz true
at 02:45 on March 25th, 2009
I got it in phx. I have friends in cali. Nyc. Iowa. All over they all got the msg several times
at 06:03 on March 25th, 2009
I have also received this text message. I live in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is obviously very wide spread. It certainly does make one uneasy. It is nice to have some reassurance that this is a hoax like I thought it was.
at 10:32 on March 25th, 2009
I just received this as an email in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
at 11:59 on March 26th, 2009
Just got this warning as an RCMP verified email. The initiation is to target 3 women outside a Calgary area Walmart this weekend.
at 12:21 on March 26th, 2009
Just got off the phone with a detective from the Calgary Police Homicide Unit. They know absolutely nothing of the so-called initiation. If someone has put the paramedics on high alert, they forgot to tell the police about it.