Alleged images of In-N-Out gunman Chad Williams have signs of AI manipulation

After a deadly shooting at an Idaho In-N-Out Burger, social media users turned to artificial intelligence and misrepresented information about the named gunman.

They shared a supposed image of Chad Williams, the 24-year-old who law enforcement officials identified as the suspect in the Aug. 1 shooting that left three people and the shooter dead, and seven injured. The photo showed a man holding a weapon.

But the image, and variations of it, appeared to have been edited. They were likely altered with artificial intelligence, as has become common following high-profile incidents in which online sleuths seek to identify suspects. In past incidents, people have prompted AI models to “enhance” low-quality footage and images, leading to suspects or victims being misleadingly depicted or falsely identified.

Williams died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. 

On Aug. 1 and 2, the New York Post published the image supposedly showing Williams with a weapon, crediting an X user. That X account described the image as  “enhanced” in its Aug. 1 post that accumulated more than 1.4 million views.

PolitiFact uploaded the image to ImageWhisperer, an AI detection tool that analyzes images 41 ways. The tool flagged areas of concern, including distorted hands on the rifle.

Lt. Steven Gassert, who oversees the public information office of the Twin Falls Police Department, told PolitiFact in an Aug. 3 phone call that he was unable to immediately confirm the image’s authenticity. He said it looked distorted, pointing to the curved wall behind the man in the image.

V.S. Subrahmanian, a Northwestern University computer science professor, and Marco Postiglione, a postdoctoral researcher who works with him, told PolitiFact there were multiple signs that show the image is likely AI-manipulated.

They pointed to the wall’s wavy distortions, the “anatomically irregular” way that the person’s forearms connect with the weapon, and the way the bush seems “visually detached” from the other elements in the image.

We found what looked like a lower definition version of the image that had been shared on Facebook and Reddit on Aug. 1; it had elements matching those in the altered one, including the way the man held the weapon, a car tire and red wall in the background, and a bush in the foreground. Other social media users appeared to have further enhanced that image, rendering a high-quality fake. 

A low resolution image, left, appeared on Facebook and Reddit. Higher definition images, center and right, were shared on social media and online articles. (Screengrabs from Facebook, Reddit and X)

We found no credible news articles that included the still image of Williams holding a weapon. Outlets such as The Associated Press shared video a bystander filmed that showed a gunman from afar.

But on Aug. 3, ABC News published a photo of Williams wearing a plaid button-down shirt and a zipped jacket, attributing it to the College of Southern Idaho. A college spokesperson told ABC News that Williams attended the school in 2022 and 2023. ABC News said an unnamed law enforcement source confirmed that Williams was the man in the photo. It shows a man with dark hair and glasses, but his facial features did not match those in the viral, manipulated image.