A story detected as trending on social networks by Lead Stories' Trendolizer system purports that a member of the Juggalos group from Kansas used a hatchet to kiil a member of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church. This is a hoax story published by a known fake news site. It is not true.
The story published on Tuesday, July 5, 2016 is titled: Kansas Juggalo Murders Westboro Baptist Church Member With Hatchet
The photo used to illustrate the fake story was actually taken from a real 2010 newspaper story about a protest by Westboro Baptist Church members.
The FAKE report claims that a man "who self-identifies as a Juggalo" was arrested in Kansas "after allegedly murdering 42-year old Walter Higgins with a hatchet." The report said Higgins was a member of Westboro Baptist Church, the controversial congregation that often stages hate-filled anti-gay protests.
A snippet of the fake story:
According to police reports, Foster did not resist arrest and thus far has been corporative. Though Foster has been arrested for the 42-year old's murder, it's currently unknown what civil lawsuits are awaiting him. Chief of Police Douglas Carter made the following statement during a press release, "This tragic incident should serve as a reminder to the public, when you encounter these types of protesters, your best course of action is to simply ignore them - do not allow them to bait you into violent behavior."
If you see this story posted on you Facebook timeline by a "friend," please share this report in the comment section. Unfortunately, these sensational false stories spread fast on social nets because people choose to believe them. Please don't be one of them.
This chart shows the trajectory of the HOAX story on social media as measured by our Trendolizer:
