Walmart Gang Initiation: Shooting Texts a Mass Urban Legend Hoax

by Tina Kells | March 19, 2009 at 02:21 pm

62096 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.

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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Justso you know (not verified)

at 19:40 on March 26th, 2009

I just got a txt from a friend. I have searched the web and I cannot find anything that says it is real. Everything says its just a hoax. Although I did see an ambulance and a EMS vehicle outside a walmart in the SE part of Calgary. I didn't hear anything about this being a real thing. Just be careful, like always, know your surroundings. This applies to any store, any city. Just don't panic when you get the email or txt.

Maureen Jones (not verified)

at 05:19 on March 27th, 2009

I got a few messages this morning about it and i live in massachusetts

Kim akak GummyBear88 (not verified)

at 18:50 on March 27th, 2009

this text message went around my husbands job which he works at a Publix Warehouse but it is siad that a gang affiliation is "SUPPOSED" to shoot 3 women and 3 men at random. I however thought it was bullshit. like johnptbone said there is no way a gang is going to announce nationwide through a text message that they are going to go on a killing spree just to join a gang. so dont believe the bull that u hear. research it first ok people?

Kim aka GummyBear88 (not verified)

at 18:52 on March 27th, 2009

also I live in Lakeland, FL

Bail (not verified)

at 15:30 on March 29th, 2009

This caused a big scare here in Fort Smith, AR a couple weeks ago. There actually was a gang shooting at a Wal-Mart here not too long ago and I think this helped to fuel the paranio. It wasn't an inititation though they just ran into each other in the parking lot and one of them pulled out a glock then shot the other guy three times. There was another shooting up in Northwest Arkansas (home of Wal-Mart) where a guy shot at a guy in the parking lot and then went back into Wal-Mart to buy more ammo.

meaton (not verified)

at 16:38 on March 30th, 2009

texas towns also got this text

Crystal Lee (not verified)

at 18:31 on April 1st, 2009

Hey out there I recived thosecrazy texts too! It just hit my area for the first time about a week ago. Stay Safe out there anyway ; ) AKRON,OHIO

Candygirl (not verified)

at 09:55 on April 24th, 2009

seroiusly its probably a zellers or other competive company sending random msgs so we wont shop at walmart. no one is really going to do it, especially when you recieve a text about it. then you contact the police, no ones going to doi it when theres been so many threeats.