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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
62254 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 06:32 on March 20th, 2009
I got it too and I live in Illinois, it really has everybody here freaking out. Is it really a hoax or not?
at 22:12 on March 19th, 2009
The message is still going around at 1 am here in East Central IL.
at 22:13 on March 19th, 2009
I got 2 of them in Sacramento, Ca today.... And, of course, I sent them to every woman I care about to warn them... oops
at 22:15 on March 19th, 2009
I got one thursday nite. And then today.. i got like 6! thursday night i was really concerned - i wanted to get the scoop if it was just Walmart! Shoot i was on my way to S-mart(grocery store).
I can't believe that it was all made up. Unbelieveable how ppl now and days would come up with bs..its not like we're just in la la land..we have enough bs going on in the real world homie.
at 22:20 on March 19th, 2009
i got this text this morning and i live in olympia washington
at 22:23 on March 19th, 2009
It made its way around Pittsburgh today. All of my friends got this text from several diferent people and just about everyone I know heard about it tonight.
at 22:45 on March 19th, 2009
I got one this afternoon and I am up in Alaska
at 22:53 on March 19th, 2009
I live in Muncie, Indiana and I received a text message this morning about this.
Very scary indeed that this is circulating throughout the states.
at 23:01 on March 19th, 2009
yea i got the txt 10 times and people sayin they heard it on the news and i live in brentwood ca
at 23:10 on March 19th, 2009
i got this text like 50 times today & i live in central alabama.
at 23:10 on March 19th, 2009
I live in riverside, ca and heard people talking about it at work. Then while at home received a text stating they were gonna like 3 women, 3 men, and 3 childern. I'm so glad its just a hoax.
at 23:31 on March 19th, 2009
your not that far from me. I stay in san bernardino, ca.
at 19:36 on March 20th, 2009
all u people talking about good and how did they get ur numbers and how its real.... shut the fuck up
its not one person sending it to everyone its everyone fowerding it to everyone and if this actually happened it would be on every international news network duhh
u people need some common sense
at 23:14 on March 19th, 2009
I got the text today. I am from Fort Wayne Indiana.
at 23:19 on March 19th, 2009
This stupid hoax went as far as Hawaii....who would do such a stupid thing? But I haven't been to Walmart today, so I don't know what's going on there.
at 23:21 on March 19th, 2009
omg omg i totally believed i got it earlier tday like 7 of them and im here in california!!!!
at 23:25 on March 19th, 2009
Got the text from family in Tacoma, Washington. I'm in Oregon.
at 23:26 on March 19th, 2009
I received this message twice and I asked was it true and my friend said it was! This is so crazy and ridiculous!
at 23:35 on March 19th, 2009
well if its a hokx then some people here in ca aint laughing 3 people here in moreno valley ca got shot and 3 in ohio. i wondering if those inoccent people though the same. i think its sucks and people who want to hurt or kill people neeed to go i irac and get paid to hurt n kill people. gang members suck. they all need jesus christ to redeem them. this whoole thing is a freakin joke. please lets STOP STOP THE HURTING ...................... REPENT REPENT JESUS IZ COMING BACK.....................
at 23:39 on March 19th, 2009
The same rumor is going around in Texas, Everyone is taking it seriously
Big gang town of Huntsville
at 10:34 on March 20th, 2009
this is true. My friend fron cleveland called me this am and told me about it. God save us all
at 23:46 on March 19th, 2009
hannibal, mo quincy, il and surrounding towns
at 00:18 on March 20th, 2009
my sister just recieved a message tonight on her house phone warning her of this too and we live in B.C. Canada! this is too creepy and not funny at all!
at 00:51 on March 20th, 2009
in athens, tn too.
at 01:04 on March 20th, 2009
Im from Pendleton, Oregon I also recieved the text, along with the rest of my town. One girl got one that said 3 specific stores it could happen at either one of the three(Pendleton,Hermiston, or Walla Walla). Im so happy its a hoax, I actually needed to go to walmart today and didnt do to the text.
at 01:37 on March 20th, 2009
yea im from cincinnati oh and got the same message like 6 times. i was actually concerned. then got another message that someone was actually shot?
at 02:10 on March 20th, 2009
Bakersfield california got hit with this too
at 03:33 on March 20th, 2009
I'm in Arizona and I received this text twice. I didn't forward it because I have a habit of googling claims like this... More people should learn how to do that.
at 03:37 on March 20th, 2009
We live in Southern Indiana and my daughter called me to make sure I was at home. She said our Walmart was surrounded by police there. She got the text and forwarded it to me.
at 03:38 on March 20th, 2009
I live in New Castle, IN and received a text yesterday that said : Don't go to any Walmart tonight, gang initiation to shoot 3 women not sure which walmart, confirmed on tv, forward to other women.
I didn't forward the message because it sounded fishy to me. Peope should really grow up & not send text messages that lie. This message is probably all over the entire US because some idiot thought it would be funny. One of the girls I work with said Target probably did it haha just a joke to keep people from going to walmart & going to target instead.