Multiple outlets were forced to retract stories after a Reuters article appeared to spread misinformation about the suspect in a Dec. 29 Texas Church shooting.
The article claimed that the dead suspect who shot at parishioners owned his own gun range. However, Jack Wilson, the armed security guard who took down the shooter, was the person who had a gun range and trained parishioners.
“The story of the assailant who shot people in a Texas church is wrong and is being withdrawn,” Reuters said in a note after the story was withdrawn.
Um… @Reuters, this is so so so so inaccurate.
Inexcusable from a wire service imo. This needs to be fixed asap.https://t.co/r8TAYG3XLE pic.twitter.com/JDMyF7sYJa
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) December 30, 2019
The original article incorrectly quoted Republican Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General.
“The gunman who opened fire in a Texas church on Sunday, killing two before dying from gunshot wounds, owned a shooting range and had taught its parishioners how to shoot, the Texas Attorney General said on Monday,” the original Reuters article claimed.
Other outlets ran with the story, and the New York Times was forced to issue a retraction as well after syndicating Reuters’ article. It used the Reuters retraction when announcing that the story was being withdrawn.
Reuters and the New York Times did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller.
“My understanding is he [Wilson] was a reserve deputy and had significant training, his own shooting range and taught other people how to shoot, and taught many people in this church how to be prepared,” Paxton actually said.
Paxton was referring to Wilson, not the shooter, according to Newsbusters.
Video footage from the incident shows the shooter opening fire during a service at the West Freeway Church of Christ. Multiple people can be seen standing up with their own guns, and the situation reportedly lasted just six seconds before the shooter was taken down.
Two congregants were killed along with the shooter. (RELATED: ‘Evil Exists’: Trump-Supporting Armed Congregant Speaks Out In Viral Post After Taking Out Church Shooter)
The National Post still had the article, published Dec. 30, up as of the time of publication. The outlet told the Daily Caller that “we mistakenly thought the item had been taken down, and when informed the story was still up we were moving to address it.”
“A livestream video caught the terrifying moment when the man, whom authorities have not identified by name, stood next the pews wearing a dark hood and started firing a long gun before the church’s volunteer security team members shot him,” the National Post’s syndicated Reuters article reads before incorrectly quoting Paxton.
The article is titled “Gunman in Texas church had trained worshippers to shoot -state prosecutor” on the National Post’s website.