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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
62224 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 21:06 on March 19th, 2009
this must be some kind of boycott or something. it's all over Northern California too, and to find out it originated in Kentucky or something is VERY surprising.. and unexpected!! good to know i don't have to worry about going to buy a birthday present now.. thanx!! ;)
at 21:08 on March 19th, 2009
i just got the same text about the three women..at first i didnt believe it. and then my grandmom called and said did u get any wierd gang texts about walmart? i said yeah and my mom freaked out and said U DID?!?! and i said yeah i get chain mail all of the time so how should i know what to believe or not to believe anymore? she said WALMART JUST GOT BLOWN UP!!! i was speechless and so freakin scared. and she said do u know how many people died? i said how many and she said alot.than she said somebody put a bomb in it.a cold lump filled my chest and i coudlnt even talk. than she said just kidding but u need to tell me when u get stuff like this. and again i told her i always get chain mail all the time so i didnt believe it.i said why the hell did u scare me like that? dayum people need to chill.the worlds going wayyy down hill.
at 21:10 on March 19th, 2009
forest park, Illinois
a lot of people in my town received this message and they were alarmed. so it is definitely going around!
at 21:10 on March 19th, 2009
thinking about it, this kind of stuff might just actually initiate people to do these kind of ridiculous acts.
at 21:11 on March 19th, 2009
thinking about it, this kind of stuff might just actually initiate people to do these kind of ridiculous acts.
at 21:11 on March 19th, 2009
We got it up here in Anchorage Alaska. It seriously made everyone panic cause we're all losers who hang at walmart for kicks.
We all sent it on.
"Do not go to any Wal-mart tonight.Gang initiation to shoot 3 women tonight. Not sure which Wal-mart. Confirmed on TV. Foward to all."
at 21:17 on March 19th, 2009
I got it to and you know what happen ....I had sex with 3 women at my house..also I wiped my own ass.
at 21:17 on March 19th, 2009
I got the same text message tonight and I am in Orange County, Ca
at 21:19 on March 19th, 2009
I work at Walmart in Augusta ME, and we were given the information about 10pm that there was supposed to be a shooting of three women at Walmart, not much was known beyond that. It was rather nerve wracking as a cashier, any person who looked slightly supicious, not want to turn your back to them... That, and when we left we were escorted outside by security.
at 21:20 on March 19th, 2009
OMG!!! I GOT THE SAME MESSAGE TOO!! YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPEN. I WENT TO WAL-MART JUST MINUTES AGO. and then.................
........
........
..........
I WIPED MY OWN ASS
at 21:22 on March 19th, 2009
OMG ...I WENT TO WALMART TODAY AND YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPEN ..........................................................
................
..............
..............
...........
..........
.;........
........
I WIPE MY OWN ASS
at 21:23 on March 19th, 2009
DUDE FOR REAL THIS IS BUNCH OF BS. I THINK ITS SAD THAT PEOPLE WOULD SEND OUT A TEXT LIKE THIS! THIS IS JUST LIKE THE 50TH ANN. OF IN N OUT HOAX! THE DIFFERENCE I REALLY DIDNT GO TO WALMART TO BUY MY PILLOWS TONITE BKUZ OF THIS DUMB A S TEXT! NOW I SLEEP ON FLAT PILLOWS! LOL BUT SERIOUSLY PEOPLE SHOULD GET A LIFE AND STOP MESSING WITH OTHERS BKUZ SOME STUPID YOUNG IMPRESSIONABLE WANNABE COULD REALLY DO THIS NOW THANX TO SPARKING THE IDEA OF THIS CRAP BY THE CREATOR OF THIS SICK JOKE! PEOPLE, DONT SEND DUMB TEXT LIKE THESE, CALL YOUR LOCAL POLICE DEPT. TO MAKE SURE THIS IS TRUE BEFORE U ALARM THE EARTH! CALI
at 21:23 on March 19th, 2009
i got the text today and i'm from puyallup, wa.
i sent it out to like 16 people because it really upset me.
now i am embarassed and even more upset because it is fake.
i called my neighbor to tell her and she was so thankful because she planned on going to wal-mart tonight.
at 21:28 on March 19th, 2009
i got the text in Martinez, Ca. I'm glad its a hoax, but just goes to show how easy it is to play on people's fears.
at 21:28 on March 19th, 2009
thats funny, because some lady in merced, ca was shot and killed tonight from this so-called hoax. people will learn not to take this stuff so lightly now.
at 21:29 on March 19th, 2009
im not going to any walmart tonight.
at 21:31 on March 19th, 2009
Got it in hawaii too and it was scary when I first got it. In the world today, one can never be too safe. Unfortunately there are people out there who will maliciously start these rumors with out regard to the affect it has on the whole population. Something should be done about this. In a country that holds freedom dear, freedom from fear apparently is not one of the criteria.
at 21:31 on March 19th, 2009
i got the same message from Pierre, SD. im sure it wont happen here since well ya know...There isnt any gangs. although i was kinda worried so i called my mom. she laughed and said she wouldnt go either. lol now i know!
at 21:37 on March 19th, 2009
Yeap here in Southern California to. Hoax or not I still take precautions. I dont mess around.
at 21:38 on March 19th, 2009
i live i ohio and also got that text message, i wasnt sure if it was real or not becuase there had been a shooting at a nearby walmart when i got it. now that i know its fake i feel ten times better
at 21:38 on March 19th, 2009
I live in a small town outside of Columbus Ohio and the "story" is really wide spread out here... me and a friend had plans to go to wal-mart tonight after work (its right next door) and decided not to.........Also my boyfriend is out of town and he heard about it too and called to let me know about it..........Thats crazy
at 21:38 on March 19th, 2009
its up here in canada now 2
at 21:50 on March 19th, 2009
Received the text this morning from a friend in Louisiana. My roommate got the same text later this afternoon from our mutual friend in California with us. My Mom just called to warn me about it late this evening.
at 21:50 on March 19th, 2009
Got the text in the Bay Area (Northern CA). All the girls here were totally freaking out.
at 21:54 on March 19th, 2009
A friend of mine got this, I live in San Jose, CA. Everyone at my school was talking about it. They were joking and saying something about going to Wal-Mart to see if it was really true. I, for one, was really freaked out about it.
at 21:57 on March 19th, 2009
I just recieved this text message twice tonight. Once from a friend in Pennsylvania and one from Ohio. I never heard of this hoax before. I thought it was real. When I came online to look it up, I found this. Thank God it wasn't true.
at 21:58 on March 19th, 2009
haha, i got it from 3 of my friends in Minneapolis, MN!
at 22:02 on March 19th, 2009
got it too.. i hate chain texts
at 22:07 on March 19th, 2009
I got this text message too and I live in Southern California. Crazy how this is getting so much attention! Just another fear tactic in my opinion.
at 22:11 on March 19th, 2009
Got the same text here in southern Indiana.