Posts misconstrue CNN report on suspect’s motive in Apalachee High School shooting

Following the Sept. 4 shooting at a Georgia high school that left four people dead and nine injured, some social media users have shared claims about the shooting suspect’s motivations.

A Sept. 7 Instagram post shared a screenshot of an X post that claimed the suspect was driven by a "lack of trans acceptance," citing CNN’s reporting.

Users on X made similar claims.

The Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

These posts misconstrue CNN’s reporting on the shooting and the suspect.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the shooting suspect in the Winder, Georgia, incident as Colt Gray, 14, a student at the school. Gray was arrested and charged with murder; the bureau said he’ll be tried as an adult.

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Viral image

stated on September 4, 2024 in an Instagram post

An image shows the social media profile of the accused suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting.

State authorities also arrested the suspect’s father, Colin Gray, in connection with the shooting and charged him with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder and cruelty to children.

CNN reported Sept. 5 that the FBI last year linked Colt Gray to an account on the messaging platform Discord, on which he had posted about plans to commit a mass shooting.

CNN also reported in that article that the Discord account "expressed frustration with the acceptance of transgender people," according to a Sept. 5 archive of the CNN article page.

These social media posts appear to have interpreted CNN’s reporting to mean the suspect’s frustration stemmed from a "lack of trans acceptance." But that’s incorrect. The CNN article did not use this wording and by the time this Instagram post was made, CNN had clarified what the Discord account said about transgender people. 

CNN’s  Sept. 6 update said the Discord account "expressed frustration that transgender people were being accepted in society."

When we contacted CNN for comment, spokesperson Bridget Leininger said, "Developing stories are often updated, and in this case the piece was updated to provide additional clarity on the social media posts in question."

We rate the claim that CNN reported that the Apalachee High School shooting suspect was motivated by a "lack of trans acceptance" False.