Several prominent leftists took to social media and immediately assumed the shooter in Boulder, Colorado, was white before details about his identity were released.
Police revealed Tuesday morning the shooter was 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa. The suspect was injured during a shootout with police and taken to the hospital. The new information led some users to issue corrections or delete their posts, which assumed the shooter’s race and motives.
Kamala Harris’ niece, Meena Harris, said Tuesday morning she deleted a tweet about the suspect.
“I deleted a previous tweet about the suspect in the Boulder shooting,” Harris wrote. “I made an assumption based on his being taken into custody alive and the fact that the majority of mass shootings in the U.S. are carried out by white men.”
I deleted a previous tweet about the suspect in the Boulder shooting. I made an assumption based on his being taken into custody alive and the fact that the majority of mass shootings in the U.S. are carried out by white men.
— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) March 23, 2021
“The Atlanta shooting was not even a week ago,” Harris’ original tweet said. “Violent white men are the greatest terrorist threat to our country.”
Deadspin senior writer Julie DiCaro and USA Today editor Hemal Jhaveri also blamed the shooting on “a white man.” DiCaro made clear Tuesday morning on Twitter that she would not apologize because her tweet is “still true.” (RELATED: Boulder Police Respond To Active Shooter)
it’s always an angry white man. always.
— Hemal Jhaveri (@hemjhaveri) March 23, 2021
For everyone asking me if I’m going to delete this tweet and apologize to white men, no, I am not, because it’s still true. https://t.co/RxW0kz5GbM
— Julie DiCaro wrote a book (@JulieDiCaro) March 23, 2021
“A white man walked into a grocery store in Boulder, killed 10 people, and was apprehended by the police and walked out of the building completely unharmed,” writer Dylan Park stated in a now-deleted tweet that had been liked over 125,000 times. “Right down the road, police killed Elijah McClain while he apologized for not doing anything wrong. Two different Americans.”
The tweets were posted in a Twitter thread by Republican Strategist Caleb Hull, who pointed out that Park’s tweet was false.
“Two different Americas,” he says as he pulls in 125,000 likes on a tweet that is completely false. pic.twitter.com/zNDg935dG2
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) March 23, 2021
“The suspected gunman in the Boulder, Colorado mass shooting is a white guy. Seven reported dead!” said CJ Werleman, a Global Correspondent for the Byline Times. “Cue ‘mental issues,’ ‘bad day,’ ‘parking dispute,’ or anything else other than what he most likely is – a white domestic terrorist.”
The suspected gunman in the Boulder, Colorado mass shooting is a white guy. Seven reported dead!
Cue “mental issues,” “bad day,” “parking dispute,” or anything else other than what he most likely is – a white domestic terrorist. pic.twitter.com/v0ukqWtIVN
— CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) March 22, 2021
Writer Don Winslow said that “police have taken him into custody” translates to “he was white.”
Description: “Police have taken him into custody”
Translation: He was white
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) March 23, 2021
“Call it what it is ..White supremacist domestic terrorism,” said activist Rosanna Arquette.
Call it what it is ..White supremacist domestic terrorism
— ✌rosanna arquette (@RoArquette) March 22, 2021
Countless members of the media, activists and other social media users said similar things.
and again… pic.twitter.com/td9I3ajphS
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) March 23, 2021
This really isn’t going as planned for them. pic.twitter.com/wZJPV4sqt3
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) March 23, 2021
???????????? pic.twitter.com/nEyI0exvyx
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) March 23, 2021
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) March 23, 2021
During a Monday night press conference, the Boulder Police Department confirmed ten people had died in the shooting earlier that day, including 51-year-old police officer Eric Talley. The last victim was removed from the scene at 1:30 AM and all of the victims had been identified by 2:00 AM.
21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. His motive remains unknown.