Sam+Hyde

Was the person who shot Charlie Kirk identified as "Samden Hindenburg", a pagan fundamentalist refugee from Ukraine? No, that's not true: A viral post recycled the meme in circulation since 2015 that casts the comedian Sam Hyde as an attacker after mass shootings in the U.S. or abroad. No credible media organization reported that anyone named "Samden Hindenburg" was connected…

Is Sam Hyde the perpetrator of a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis? No, that's not true:A viral post recycled the meme in circulation since 2015 that casts the comedian Sam Hyde as an attacker after mass shootings in the U.S. or abroad. No credible media organization reported that anyone named "Sam Hyde" was connected to the events in…

Is the name of a suspect in the Graz shooting Samuel Haider? No, that's not true: A viral post recycled the meme in circulation since 2015 that casts the comedian Sam Hyde as an attacker after mass shootings in the U.S. or abroad. No credible media organization reported that anyone named "Samuel Haider" was connected to the events in Graz.…

Is a man named Samuel Hyde the suspected shooter at the shooting at Florida State University on April 17, 2025? No, that's not true: Comedian Sam Hyde is often named as the perpetrator by internet trolls whenever a mass-casualty incident happens. It is a bizarre in-joke that has been going on for years, often using variations of his name to…

Was Samuel Hydén (or Sam Hyde) the perpetrator of a school shooting in Örebro, Sweden, on February 4, 2025? No, that's not true: Comedian Sam Hyde is often named as the perpetrator by internet trolls whenever a mass-casualty incident happens. It is a bizarre in-joke that has been going on for years, often using variations of his name to make…

Was Samir El Hydeouchi identified as the suspect in the December 20, 2024, vehicular attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany? No, that's not true: At the time this fact check was written, the suspect was taken into custody and a German official has stated the driver of the car, who was not named, was a Saudi national, a…

Did police identify Samuel Hyde as the shooter at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin? No, that's not true: At a press conference on December 16, 2024, the Madison police chief identified the shooter as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow "who went by the name Samantha." Since 2015, internet trolls have recycled a hoax claiming that "Sam Hyde is the…

Was Samuel Hyde named as the suspect in the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO? No, that's not true: Sam, or Samuel, Hyde is a comedian whose name and likeness have been the subject of internet memes associated with shootings since 2015. One of the photos of a person of interest released by the New York Police Department was edited to…

Was comedian Sam Hyde identified as the man who shot at Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The comedian is routinely blamed for being the perpetrator of shootings or other violent incidents as part of a bizarre internet in-joke. The FBI has identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park in…

Are Sám Shevchenko, Samel Hydruskli or Samuel Hydenko the names of any of the suspects in the deadly March 22, 2024, concert hall attack in Moscow, Russia? No, that's not true: In the wake of mass shootings, naming "Sam Hyde" and variations of that name as a shooter is an often-recycled internet meme. It plays on the name of Sam…