It's Day 3, and the Wal-Mart gang initiation rumor rages on. There are too many reports from too many sources to attempt a formal tally, but judging by the sheer volume of news stories from around the country and firsthand sightings by hundreds of About.com users (thanks, commenters!), it's safe to say the rumor has swept through every state in the union.
There have been zero reports of actual gang violence. In Durant, Oklahoma a shoplifter was caught trying to steal a case of beer from a Wal-Mart store. Two men were booked for impersonating police officers and mugging a pair of teenagers outside the Wal-Mart store in Fall River, Massachussetts. A woman was arrested at Wal-Mart in Austin, Texas for attempting to return merchandise under false pretenses. A man was randomly assaulted while pumping Wal-Mart gas in Belmont, North Carolina. None of these crimes were connected with gang activity.
History of a rumor
Police everywhere have been busy reassuring panicky callers and issuing statements peppered with phrases like "urban legend," "false rumor," and "Internet hoax." Some trace the current rash of rumors to an email that circulated in 2005 (and again in 2007) claiming that women and children were to be singled out for gang initiation killings at Wal-Mart and Target stores in Memphis. These various warnings are indeed cut from the same cloth, but in truth the gang initiation motif dates back to the early 1990s, when rumors swept the country to the effect that would-be gangbangers were cruising the streets at night with their headlights turned off and opening fire on unsuspecting drivers who gave them a "courtesy flash."
In those days the Internet was still a novelty, of course, which meant rumors traveled the old-fashioned way — by word of mouth and — don't laugh — fax. When a rumor "swept the country" it took months, not hours. Google didn't exist, so debunking was a similarly gradual process. With information harder to come by and the coordination of law enforcement more difficult, the police often played as prominent a role in disseminating such rumors as they did in snuffing them out.
Variations on a theme
Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand tracked the "Lights Out!" rumor from its inception in 1993, noting that new variations began to appear almost instantaneously. In Salt Lake City, for example, it was reported early on that gang initiates were plotting to rape a cheerleader at a local high school. A common thread in every variant of the story from that day to this is the notion that the violence is to be directed at "civilians" — most often, women in particular — not rival gang members (though according to experts in gang behavior the reverse is more commonly true).
Moving ahead a few years, panic nearly broke out in New York City on October 31, 1997 after word got around that the Bloods gang had designated Halloween as "initiation day." Prospective gang members were supposedly going to attack random strangers in the streets to earn their credentials. Preparing for the worst, the NYPD deployed officers en masse, but fortunately the "street talk" turned out to be baseless. The New York Times later called it the safest Halloween on record.
An email which began circulating in 1999 described a very different "gang ritual" consisting of perpetrators hiding under cars in parking lots and slashing the ankles of unsuspecting females to cripple them and facilitate the removal of prized body parts (yes, you read that correctly). "It might sound bizarre and gross," the message patiently explains, "but the bigger the body part the higher the initiation they receive." (Not a shred of truth to this, needless to say.)
Strychnine, LSD, and car bumping
Thanks primarily to the Internet, the ensuing decade has brought new and even more imaginative variations on the gang initiation theme. One of the strangest warnings to cross my transom claimed that "a new form of gang initiation is to go find as many pay phones as possible and put a mixture of LSD and strychnine onto the buttons." I'm not kidding. The message went on to say that the "fatal" concoction had been implicated in the deaths of several innocent people on the east coast.
Newer variants in circulation since the mid-2000s specify Mexican gang members as the perpetrators of "death initiations" which target black women in particular (some of these texts also name Wal-Mart and/or Target stores as the scene of the purported crime). In the past year or two these have morphed into "car bumping" warnings, the premise of which is that Mexican gang members are purposely going out and rear-ending other vehicles before shooting the occupants in cold blood.
Apart from the panic — let's call it what it is — of the past few days, the most dramatic upsurge of gang initiation rumors I can recall occurred just last Halloween, commencing with text-messaged warnings to the effect that, just as in 1997, prospective gang members were plotting to cause mayhem in New York City by attacking random strangers on the street. This time the rumor spread quickly, very quickly, far beyond the bounds of New York City and all across the country, sowing fear even in communities where gang violence was heretofore unknown.
I see that the number of user comments on my previous posting has now topped 1,000, with no end in sight. Fasten your seatbelts, Wal-Mart shoppers; it's going to be a bumpy night.
There have been zero reports of actual gang violence. In Durant, Oklahoma a shoplifter was caught trying to steal a case of beer from a Wal-Mart store. Two men were booked for impersonating police officers and mugging a pair of teenagers outside the Wal-Mart store in Fall River, Massachussetts. A woman was arrested at Wal-Mart in Austin, Texas for attempting to return merchandise under false pretenses. A man was randomly assaulted while pumping Wal-Mart gas in Belmont, North Carolina. None of these crimes were connected with gang activity.
Police everywhere have been busy reassuring panicky callers and issuing statements peppered with phrases like "urban legend," "false rumor," and "Internet hoax." Some trace the current rash of rumors to an email that circulated in 2005 (and again in 2007) claiming that women and children were to be singled out for gang initiation killings at Wal-Mart and Target stores in Memphis. These various warnings are indeed cut from the same cloth, but in truth the gang initiation motif dates back to the early 1990s, when rumors swept the country to the effect that would-be gangbangers were cruising the streets at night with their headlights turned off and opening fire on unsuspecting drivers who gave them a "courtesy flash."
In those days the Internet was still a novelty, of course, which meant rumors traveled the old-fashioned way — by word of mouth and — don't laugh — fax. When a rumor "swept the country" it took months, not hours. Google didn't exist, so debunking was a similarly gradual process. With information harder to come by and the coordination of law enforcement more difficult, the police often played as prominent a role in disseminating such rumors as they did in snuffing them out.
Variations on a theme
Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand tracked the "Lights Out!" rumor from its inception in 1993, noting that new variations began to appear almost instantaneously. In Salt Lake City, for example, it was reported early on that gang initiates were plotting to rape a cheerleader at a local high school. A common thread in every variant of the story from that day to this is the notion that the violence is to be directed at "civilians" — most often, women in particular — not rival gang members (though according to experts in gang behavior the reverse is more commonly true).
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An email which began circulating in 1999 described a very different "gang ritual" consisting of perpetrators hiding under cars in parking lots and slashing the ankles of unsuspecting females to cripple them and facilitate the removal of prized body parts (yes, you read that correctly). "It might sound bizarre and gross," the message patiently explains, "but the bigger the body part the higher the initiation they receive." (Not a shred of truth to this, needless to say.)
Strychnine, LSD, and car bumping
Thanks primarily to the Internet, the ensuing decade has brought new and even more imaginative variations on the gang initiation theme. One of the strangest warnings to cross my transom claimed that "a new form of gang initiation is to go find as many pay phones as possible and put a mixture of LSD and strychnine onto the buttons." I'm not kidding. The message went on to say that the "fatal" concoction had been implicated in the deaths of several innocent people on the east coast.
Newer variants in circulation since the mid-2000s specify Mexican gang members as the perpetrators of "death initiations" which target black women in particular (some of these texts also name Wal-Mart and/or Target stores as the scene of the purported crime). In the past year or two these have morphed into "car bumping" warnings, the premise of which is that Mexican gang members are purposely going out and rear-ending other vehicles before shooting the occupants in cold blood.
Apart from the panic — let's call it what it is — of the past few days, the most dramatic upsurge of gang initiation rumors I can recall occurred just last Halloween, commencing with text-messaged warnings to the effect that, just as in 1997, prospective gang members were plotting to cause mayhem in New York City by attacking random strangers on the street. This time the rumor spread quickly, very quickly, far beyond the bounds of New York City and all across the country, sowing fear even in communities where gang violence was heretofore unknown.
I see that the number of user comments on my previous posting has now topped 1,000, with no end in sight. Fasten your seatbelts, Wal-Mart shoppers; it's going to be a bumpy night.
Comments
thanks 4 this…I just got a text from a friend saying that there was going to be a shooting at Wal-mart so i decided to come here and look…so now i know that it’s not just VA getting these crazy texts.
I have a girl friend who works at a “heart-land” Walmart in VA, she got rumors about this walmart attacking and it has made her so scared she cant sleep at night. This is madness I cant believe some people find pleasure in scaring people like this. I am afraid if this is try, everyone says it is a hoax, but some times a crazy might actually do it, I hope no one is hurt out there by some idiots.
I got a phone call and a text telling me about it and so the journalist in me went online to research it.
I’m still spooked though…
I am in the state of MO and my family memeber who sent this text to me lives in CA. Thank You for clearing this up for us. I will take it as a hoax.
… and I know it’s not just Texas! A good friend of mine who rarely sends chain letters to me just sent me a text saying “Do not go to any walmart tonight. Gang initiation to shoot 3 women tonight. Not sure which walmart. And confirmed on tv. fwd to all girls in your phone.” I think she took it seriously but glad to know that it’s a hoax.
its been going around central illinois today, glad to hear that its just a rumor, i got some shopping to do tomorrow!
I am in TN and i have been receiving text all day and everyone is talkin about it When i was in town and had to go to wal mart that is all u heard .. I was even told the police here said it was true…CRAZY..
got it out here in arizona to
i live in newport, tn and we have heard this all day that a gang was having initiations tonight and was going to kill 3 men and 3 women at walmart, all i can say is you better know if your right with the lord, this dont sound like nothing but the devils works. god bless you all
ok so i found out just now that it’s a hoax….good thing. I received the text from my co-worker this morning. I live in san jose, california… i thought it was for real when i got it…so of course like any person i wanted to warn everyone else….safe to say i’ll be sending a new text with this site to calm everyone! thanx for the updates.
I got it here in hawaii
Got this walmart email and text today also. I live in NC, but got the message from people in two other states (OH and CA) besides NC. Yay for internet capabilities proving the hoax is everywhere!
We got it here in Barstow CA, and the forward had, 3 woman tonight, 3 men tomorrow, and 3 kids the following.
Wow! I live in Fort Wayne, IN and got the message 6 times from girls all over the U.S. Thanks About for clearing this up! I’ll be sending new messages out.
yea its here in Ohio too. i told everyone once i found out and THEN decided to research. oh well, i guess you can never be too careful because i sure as heck aint puttin myself out as bait haha.
We got it here in Erie, PA too. Everyone is talking about it.
it’s circulating even in hawaii
Same here in Chicago,IL. I’ve gotten the text 5 times today.
It’s all over town in modesto,ca keep getting the text, happy to hear its false but i cant say i will be going to walmart in the next few days better safe than sorry.
The text hoax has reached me and my friends in California too.
ok this is crazy i recieved the same text message here in louisville,ky. how can the same text crazy text be circulating arround the world this stuff is crazy i was scared there for a minute in i actually am stil scared because this was on or local news channel. i just hope everyone be safe in happy because with the way the world is today violence is at the top of it’s peak
Thanks for the update about this. I just got a text from one of my friends about this. I didn’t know how to react, and wasn’t sure if it was actually true or not. But luckily now I know. I’m in the state of Virginia, and am surprised how this spread across our nation. Thanks once again!!!
I just got a text from a person I don’t even know in MN today too. I wasn’t planning to go to Walmart anytime soon but wanted to see if this was true or not.
got a text about an hour ago here in NE. I wouldn’t have been to freaked out about it but some lady at my work was talking about it like it was real. I thought the whole thing was a little weird though. I’m not surprised its a hoax.
i got a bunch of texts today saying about this shooting and its really been scaring me… but i guess you just got to watch out for those kind of peopleeeee…….
i just hope no1 gets hurt.
My daughter texted me that she got several of these texts and since I am a P. I. she said what do we do mom? I checked w/ locals and the word is Urban Legend but as a P.I. and a mom I say better to be safe then sorry .Keep your eyes and ears alert and stay safe. We are in Ohio but bottom line is even when these incidents aren’t circulating do yourself a favour and always be alert to your surroundings even if your busy. The life you save may be your own. Stay safe and have a great day.
Got a text from a number that I don’t know. The area code is from Columbus, Ohio. I leave in in Northern Indiana. Have no idea of who sent it to me. I talked to my mother and she said she was in a Dollar Store earlier today and heard a girl telling about getting the same text message. This is very weird.
It even made it across the Pacific to Honolulu, Hawaii…but a friend of mine who works for HPD told me it was a hoax before I could even get online. It’s going to be a long night for 911 operators!
I just got 2 texts from people in MI. Glad to hear its a rumor.
yeah i got it to in ankeny iowa. alot of us grils are not going now
Got the text from my bf today….then 5 mins later my 11 year old informed they told her at school not to go to walmart today or tomorrow here in CA. Of course being a reporters wife, I had to look it up…..glad to find out it was a hoax….and not a good one at that….
i just got this too. i live in a small town in ny. nice to know that the mass hysteria has spread here too.
I got a text message from a few friends that stated three women were to be shot durig gang initiation at a unbeknownst wal mart.
I got this text today in Ohio.
I live in the towlet bowl of Arkansas and we’re getting the same text here….wow not many ppl know this one horse town exist
I just received a text about gang initiation going to happen here tonight in Northern CA Walmarts. Sometimes it’s hard not to believe cuz gang violence is prevalent here and even more in So Cal. I did some research online and saw the rumor’s been all over the country. You can never be too careful anyway. All I know is to stay away from a certain grocery store here late at night-gangs shot each other there a few weeks ago.
Got it from a friend in Kansas this afternoon. My sister got it in Kentucky tonight.
Someone must have gotten mad at Walmart to start this rumor again!
I have heard these rumors for two days now and I dont know what to believe because as of 5 minutes ago there has been 2 women shot. One at the walmart in Cartersville, Ga and I am not sure about the other yet. Also our local high school where I am from made everyone leave from track meet and told us to go home and that there is a chance school maybe closed tomorrow. If anyone has any info please let me know!!!!!!
I Also Have Gotten Many Text Messages Today Over This Whole Walmart Deal. My Mother Believes Its Just A Big Hoax To Target The Big Comanies To Try & Ruin There Sales. True? Who Knows. But Whatever Is Going On Its Crazy.
I know this is a hoax because of the surge of texts across the U.S. & from the internet, but some counties and states are disregarding the threat and not bumping up security. They are saying “people would not tell others if they were really going to shoot someone at walmart”. I would take that as a grain of sand, if was the one doing the shooting, i sure would’nt want my mom or any other women in my family at walmart. So security police should’nt really blow it off but yet there’s nothing you can really do about it either… god bless anyways
So this thing about Walmart is just a hoax. I live in Chicago
Its Circulating in Nevada too.
Its Reached Laquey, Missouri. & I Live In One Small Town.
Got a text today here in Atlanta saying the same thing, that there would be a gang initiation shooting of three women at a Walmart and that it was on the news. Luckily, I decided to check it out before forwarding it to my friends.
This Is All Over Vegas!!! Amazing How Its All Over The Coutry!
I work at a Wal-Mart in Wisconsin, and never heard of this rumor until today. A woman came in and told me it had already happened in a city half an hour away. How do you twist something around like that? Some cashiers and customers were really worried. That’s so messed up.
I just received that exact text message from a girl from my college. LoL I guess panic and hoaxes are an American tradition.
Can you believe that this rumor has made it all the way to Hawaii?!? My guess is there must have been a disgruntled WalMart employee who came up with a way to hit ‘em where it hurts. I’m still going to take precautions and wait until the weekend to go shopping!
Wow! I can’t believe the lengths some ppl go to to scare others. It is really ridiculous. I’m glad to see that this unfortunate bit of information is just a hoax.
I received 3 texts about this in San Diego, CA. Trips me out how this can spread all over the country… the real question is why??? I guess it’s much better to be safe than sorry though.
I got the text in Michigan.
I work at wal-mart and today we had a fight break out in the toy isle. We assumed it was nothing until a customer told us about the text messages circulating (Wv). So I did my duty and notified management after I did a little research. Only then did I find out that they ALREADY KNEW… go figure. Of course they didn’t want to spread panic amongst the associates but don’t they think we should have known, even if it was a hoax?
i heard that too, im from illinois and my husband told me and i just laughed since i thought he was joking, but then my sister in law sent me a text, ppl are so full of it!!
The text came to New Orleans sometime late last night. But by 3PM today, it was spreading like wildfire among high schools.
This was crazy. But you have to admit, a little exciting.
I even got it in wal-mart’s home state, Arkansas. Glad to know its just a hoax! Thanks!
Got it here in li’l ole Idaho. Luckily in this day and age of urban legends flying like wildfire through text and email, I always check purported “sources” online (my text said that the rumors were confirmed on TV). Lucky for me. We have enough to keep us awake worrying at night anyway…
My wife got it today. We live in Arkansas. She got on the internet and discovered it was a hoax. Not funny
Got it at work today. I live in Oregon and got it from a friend in another part of the state. I work with all women and everyone was freaked out. Nice to know its not true.
My friend called me and she was freaking out about this forward because she thought it would still be going on tomorrow when she went to get Twilight. I had gotten it from two people. I knew it was fake but just to be safe I got on and checked. Its probably a good idea to start sending forwards that say these rumors are fake.
Got it in Pennsylvania!!! CRAZY!
I am here in NC and started getting these texts as soon as i woke up this morning. Then, I went and check my voice-mails and had a message about it from my daughter’s SCHOOL. Yes. Now that was scary.
The school county adviser assured everyone that this was all a hoax and has been generating all up and down the east coast.
this is all over vegas.
Jus like the rest of you all i got a txt as well and im in kentucky…..i crazy though i don’t know about the rest of you but i got it like 15 times from just about every femal saved in my fone!
got the text in small town iowa too. where wal-mart is the biggest store within 60 miles!
I live in WA and I just got a text from a friend that said “Do not go to walmart… Expected. gang iniciation. Set to target 3 women in a walmart parking lot tonight or tomorrow night” then a few minutes later I got “not sure what walmart this has been all over the news. Please forward to everyone in ur phone. This is not a joke. Its real”
A little spooked I googled it, got to this page and was happy to read that it’s just a hoax. Hopefully this hoax doesn’t give some idiot any ideas!
I just got the message while shopping at Walmart in Alaska. I am glad to hear it’s a hoax.
well i got a text this morning about that
the shot three women at a wal-mart
rumor has it!
Sounds like this came from an angry wal-mart employee that was let go recently.
Hmm,seems like a rumor of this sort would be an excellent way to keep consumers out of the stores of a certain company. Sounds like someone just wanted Wal-mart to have a lousy day.
got this text here in massachusetts. i dont know i think its a hoax but i still believe we should all watch our backs. better safe than sorry girls… be aware of ur surroundings and if possible always travel with a partner. try not to go to places alone. being a female these days can be hard. watever u do fight back. dont stop defending urselves. scream, bite, scratch, kick, punch… dont give up. god bless…
I just got the message today…i live in washington state, i cant believe the nerve of some people, sending a text like that is not cool at all so inmature. Just glad its a hoax.
Stay safe all!
I just got it today from a friend via text and we live in Wichita, Kansas.
I thought it was a silly chain letter text and I’m glad to see I was right.
But I didn’t know it was going around the country, yikes.
i live in ct and got the txt i m a female with a 2 yr old and i go to walmart i just pray that all of this is a hoax and if anyone ever does anything like this they dont target innocent people
Got it here in the panhandle of Florida several times
Well everyone is on this site for the same reason. Do not know for sure if the text is true or not, but with that in mind, today you have to be extremely careful with eyes behind your head, cannot trust anyone. Here in INLAND EMPIRE CALIFRONIA the same message is going around. Do not know for sure if there are going to be any shootings at wal-mart or not, but at the best-buy really close to WAL-MART a woman has been shot tonight, so my message to all, is better to be safe then sorry later. Could be false, but sometimes the bad guys do use tactics to fool the mind, just when you think nothing is going to happen, BOOM. THANKS STAY SAFE
i work at a walmart in wisconsin and when i recieved this txt message i was seriously scared. then i recieved it from six other people i didnt even kno. but our store took many precautions including having us walk out together at the end of our shifts and increased security. it was really crazy and a lot of people were freaked out.
Got it in southern Illinois. Norris City. Population 1000… This is Insane.
This is such a sick, twisted joke. I’m in Connecticut, and my father actually recieved this text. Let’s just hope it doesn’t give any wannabes some ideas now.
I live in clarksville ,TN where i deliver mail. Everyone i saw today was talking about this. The police here are saying that it is true. All I know is that I won’t be going to walmart anytime soon, because wether it is true or not it will give some crazy person the idea because they are already famous and they didn’t ever start it but want to take all the credit. NOW WHAT
I live in VA and I got a text message from my friend back home in Cali! lol! People are crazy! This rumor is a joke.
I live in wisconsin and got that message and it deffinetly scared me, becuase people i know were working tonite but im glad its not true
It’s been going on out here in arizona like a bat out of hell . I think that if some punk kidsare gettin a crack out of this BS , they are way too immature for their own good. I won’t go to wal mart for the next couple days, you never know the way stuff is now , anyone could decide that it sound like a good idea. My best advice to all my girl friends is just stay away from wal mart for a while
I know every one says it’s a hoax, and in many places I sincerely believe that it is. But I live in Moses Lake Washington, and there have been gunshots going off yesterday. It’s crazy here, everyone is talking about it and at wal-mart today there were police watching out. There like 0 people in the wal-mart store today, go figure. And with the city getting all afriad of this I believe it’s actually causing the gangs around here to get riled up and they have caused trouble. Like, I never hear about shootings in ML, it’s a small town you know. But like yesterday at least 3 people were shot, (not kidding) no one was killed though. It wasn’t the 3 woman thing it was just random gang fights. Also, in Othello a man was shot and killed. SO I dunno but something ISSS going on.
It’s swept through Washington, there are even people claiming that there were three people shot… These induviduals need to get a life.
I just got the message tonight. I live in Allentown, PA. Got this text from some friends out in California. I’m surprised I was the first of my friends to Google it.
I live in HI, and my friend got the text about 30 min ago, and i was scared out of my mind since we were right near walmart, i hope it’s just a fake, because that would be a real tradgedy.
Um, I really wouldn’t care about the rumors, true or not. I would shop at walmart either way… nothing could stop me from standing in line to get the movie TWILIGHT! haha i just had to say it!
i got the txt from about 5 people and i was really scared when i got it so i am glas that it is just a hoax and i dont know how people like scaring people like that.
You want to know what’s weird and kinda spooky? I had just gotten dressed to go to Wal-Mart when I picked up my phone and saw the text. It was a shock even if it was a hoax.
Now I know that statistically the likelihood that someone would get the message while on the way to or from a Wal-Mart is fairly high, I’ve still decided to heed the universe’s message and stay home. Figure it could be a coincidence or it could be some otherworldly signal that I did not need to spend money tonight
What a relief, im in CA, and i was terrified to go to Walmart and i really do need too! im actually still a little afraid..but glad to know its going everywhere, less meanings its true. I feel bad for walmart i cant iagine what its doing to their business!
Well, actually, just a few minutes ago, a citizen in Fortsmith, Arkansas was shot at a local Wal-Mart there by a Hispanic gang. Not sure if that citizen is dead or just wounded.
I thought it’d be a total hoax, but I suppose not.
WOW…how crazy is this!!?? Im just going threw reading all these comments..I live in northern Indiana..not to far from fort wayne and people are getting the same txt in Hawaii!! It is still kinda creepy I think
yeah it was on our news in Alaska as a warning not to go to Wal-Mart haha. i figured it was fake, first off i would think that any gang initiations would be secret and random and second off its Alaska, nothing like that really ever happens here
i got a text message sayin there was goin to be three women killed at walmart 2 nights ago from my friend in SC, i live in WI so its easily across the nation now and its not something i think we should take lightly as of now, granted its probably just a hoax but i believe that we should take the usual precautions to be on the safe side.
Rather or not this was true, gang violence is real. usually random shooting is their game along with robberies. I think they should find the real person who is making these up and punish them. It’s like writting BOMB on a piece of paper and dropping it on the floor. Should be a felony charge. Be careful people are stupid and i wouldn’t ever go to wal-mart at night anyways.
Tennessee here-I’m sorry but does this not REAK of a rumor guys? Wal-Mart Employees are freaked out about this. My exact words were “Urban Legend anyone?” when I was ‘warned.’ What’s the point in a rumor like this?
Didn’t see NC reporting in my quick scan of the top 15 – so yep…the text is here too. And folks are even saying, “my friend’s husband who works at Police dept says stay home” etc. Who actually enjoys this stuff?
time to stop discussing the hoax just giving the person that started this the attention that they want.
I love in South Dakota and the text is even speading like crazy around here!! The weird thing is is that a friend and I were just at walmart today and then I got this text..creepy. Im still scared to go even though it’s supposidly false.
Tucson, AZ
I got the text yesterday and today.
To #92: There WAS a shooting in a Fort Smith, Arkansas Wal Mart. In 2007. Google, people.
http://www.4029tv.com/news/13756878/detail.html
This rumor made it to Jackson, Mississippi as well. My family in New Orleans called to tell me about it. I don’t care if people say it is a rumor or not, I’m not going anywhere near a Wal-Mart. It isn’t worth risking your life over. People are crazy!
So picture this, I’m at walmart w/ my friend, just lost her in the store, searching for her, called her once, couldn’t reach her, went to call again, get a text.. it says,
“DO NOT GO TO ANY WALMART TONIGHT. Gang initiation to shoot 3 women tonight. And confirmed on TV. Send to all ur girls.”
The rumor reached Oahu, Hawaii as well.
We got it here in Iowa too. Everyone is scared and the police confirmed it’s true. Police are all around any WalMart in Iowa. Have to wait and see what happens tonight.
Fear is the worst thing you can give these people who started the rumor. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?
I got that text forwarded to me three times today so I wanted to see if it was real but thank god its not! Thanks for the article! Oh & I’m from San Jose,CA if anyone is curious as to where the hoax reached
just to let everyone here know, the shootings did happen today in ohio… 1 women was shot at a walmart in west tusawaras ohio and 2 women were shot at a walmart in alliance ohio…don’t let your guard down,those rumors have become a reality…
I wonder if any Walmarts will experience a significant drop in sales because of this.
lolz.
Just got text from friend in Michigan…Good to know it isn’t real!
It’s out here in Vegas too
@-@ friggin crazy people spreading these rumors
It’s amazing how rumors get started, first it started with 3 women and I am in california and received a similar text but this one included 3 men, 3 women, and 3 kids. It is understood that this is false and/or a hoax, but sometimes it is not to be taken lightly, especially in in gang infected areas. Some gang members could have possibly been influenced by some idea and who knows where it might happen…..
Thanks for the update on this. I’ve received the text too. I am glad to know it’s a HOAX. Thanks again
heard about it in kentucky also
actually what i had heard (i work in walmart) is that 2 guys and 2 girls are going to walk into walmart and shoot up every walmart female worker they saw in there…so…all females got escorted to their cars…this is in kentucky…im glad im on vacation
Hey I really don’t think that this whole Walmart rumor is funny. It has scared the crap out of everyone. I believe who ever started this rumor has lost there mind. Well to everyone out there just be careful and try to avoid these stores until this whole thingy settles down. Better safe the sorry.
i actually got this from 3 people tonite. and my little brother called my house freaking out because i work next to walmart and often go there after work. I thought it was actualy kind of funny that so many people would fall for something so obviously fake. I mean if you really think about it, gangs wouldn’t do it if it was all over the news and everyone knew about it. That kind of defeats the purpose. But I’m glad there are articles like this so I can show my friends who believe everything they hear.
hey add Louisiana March 19, 2009 to that list. it happened again today
I live in ohio and have been hearing this all day yesterday and today…. Said it was to happen at the massillon and canton walmarts. I have heard a couple times it has been on the news but guess what no one actually saw it they just heard it was. I looked up all the local news stations and nothing on them about it. Heard earlyer today that someone was shot…but…the police dept says no but also says they are on high alert.
My girlfriend and i thought, yea yea whatever right, then a group of thuggish looking males pulled up in a black van and parked on the sidewalk in front of the store when we were walking out of Walmart I told her to hurry up “why are we walking so fast” “just keep up…”, no need to say I didn’t risk it. This is seriously not funny at all. Especially in cities that this would happen normally…
received the text several times here in Mississippi. I also received the text from my sister in law who lives in Illinois.
yeah, it hit south louisiana this afternoon
I just got it today too – I live in CA, on the central coast.
I’m from a little town in Louisiana and I got this text today from one of my friends who said she got it from her uncle. This is craziness.
I live in Fort Wayne, Indiana and I got this text message three times today. It said there would be a gang initiation at walmart and 3 women would be killed and it was confirmed on the news. Well if the police knew about it than why weren’t they at walmart today. Come on now.. I kinda figured it was a hoax. Which is why I didn’t forward it… Im not wasting my text messages on that crap! Some people just have nothing better to do.
Although entirely true.. I feel this article minimizes problems in our society… as if no one would slash a persons foot to get a body part… or shoot for no reason… haven’t they read any criminology books. Maybe I’m sick, but if in real life people are gunned down while filling up gas and people like Jeffrey Dahmer exist then I don’t think anyone should take these “hoaxes” lightly! Anything is possible.
in Kentucky an employee answered a phone call today (3/19) from a man telling her that she better tell every black person to get out of the store to get out because they were going to come in and shoot all the white people. This is true, I know the person who answered the phone. All the employees were only allowed to leave at the end of their shifts in groups.
I heard it on the news in
western Kentucky. It is also going around in text messages. People need to find a better way to spend their time.
I work at a Wal Mart. Tonight a lady freind of mine came up to me in a panic state and told me her
daughter got the rumour in an email. The email also said it was confirmed byt the tv news.
She wanted me to warn every female coming in to shop at the store. I tried to convince her
it was a hoax ( beside my town is nowhere USA, no gangmembers, just rednecks),
but she wouldn’t listen. I had her talk to the Manager to clam her down.
At 51, I have heard almost every hoax out there.
The real problem is people spreading the romour first before finding out from a reliable source
if it’s true or not! Thanks for the confirm!
we got it in our small townin texas near the border of OK, and everyone is talking about it! i got it while i was in wal-mart, and left until i felt safe… but all we can do is hope its not some crazy reality, and pray its only a rumor
Made it out here to Hawaii, too. My friends and everyone I know got it earlier this afternoon. The local news stated that it was a hoax. Let’s just hope it is and nothing happens :]
i live in california and recieved 4 text messages and a phone call about this. its not funny. i dont pay for text messaging to get this crap!!! its crazy that its all over the states though…
Thank you for once again having the most up-to-date information on hoaxes! I almost forwarded this one to my whole mailbox, and I am the one who never forwards anything like that; I am the chain breaker!
The spooky thing about this one is that it was so convincing because someone local changed it to our town’s name, and it had the name and workplace of someone I know, with a local phone number to call and confirm. That means something in a town of 5,000 people. But the idea of telling over a hundred people to avoid Wal-Mart for three days made me pause to wonder what the consequences would be.
Congratulations, Mr. Emery. I have NEVER failed to find a fishy forward debunked on your blog, and I send people here all the time. Your explanations have helped me sharpen my hoax-detection senses.
Sounds like someone is pissed off at Wal-Mart.
Its up here in Washington state too.
Greetings from Jax, Fl
My co-worker was telling me about the texts today. I had never heard about it before. Then an hour later I got one.
I’m thrilled what this could do to walmart sales.
Its in Small Town Alabama too!!! Scary as hell! But I do not plan to go into Wal-mart anyways! I spend way to much money everytime I go there!! Be safe and GOD BLESS!
I’m in California as well and I actually called two police departments and three friends who have husbands that are Police Officers. I talked to one of the husbands about this after reading that it was a hoax and he said that he didn’t believe it was a hoax as they had a meeting on it at the department. The other two friends who have family members as police officers also said their family member told them it was for real and they were doing a nationwide alert. This may have gone around as a hoax before but at least in California where these PO are from I am believing it. I live in So Cali and gangs are bad here. Better be safe than sorry I say.
I got it here, all the way up in BC, Canada. I agree with #139, better to be safe than sorry.
i was scared. thank goodness its not true.
i work at a walmart in iowa. and i was really scared today. i got 6 text messages, and one was while i was on my way to work. one person told me that it was true and to tell my manager and my manager decided not to worry about it and not to tell anyone about it. what if it would have been true? i dont think they would have let us know or anything.
Hi, i just wanted to leave a comment about all this rumors about gang initiations and attacking women and children.its all lies that people think of it as a sick cruel joke gangs dont attack women and children on purpose for a initiation who ever is sending this stupid messages need to understand the real gang culture before making fools out of random average joes that dont know anything bout gangs.gang initiation are either take out a rival member or hurt another rival member sometimes rob liquor stores but anyways to all who are believing things like this dont need to worry.just do what i do laugh at every one else who believes its true lol
I am a Customer Service Manager at Walmart..today I was at work, it was not until one hour after I was already at work, that a female associate told me about the rumor..I have to say, I was upset, I am the only Male up front, I work with all females..Even if it was just a hoax..shouldn’t store management have let me know about it?, because I had lots of women freaking out and uncomfortable and I didn’t know what was going on…That is what pissed me off the most.. I am in Nashville, TN.
well i do not know if the rumor is true or not, but I know one thing the rumor made it to Nashville, TN.
I just got the text ” Do not go to any Walmart tonight. Gang initiation to shoot 3 women tonight. Not sure which Walmart. And confirmed on tv. Fwd to all girls in your phone.”
I ALWAYS confirm everything I get in email or text messages like this through snopes.com. They have by far the biggest database to search using very few key words to find what you need. Every time I have been on the site looking something up they have an explanation and rather it is true or false.
I am assuming this was started by someone with a grudge against Wal-Mart. I shop there all the time, mostly for groceries. Idiots won’t stop me.
Oh, and I’m in Orange County California…so it seems to be traveling across the country quite quickly.
Wow I got that here up in Alaska
WalMart Loss Prevention killed 5 people for ‘suspected’ petty theft and acted as judge, jury and executioner in an insane policy against the public interest.
On a store for store comparative basis you are 400% more likely to be robbed, raped, assaulted, injured or killed at a WalMart than any other retailer.
The Studies and data show WalMart is a heavy drain on local law enforcement personnel and local tax dollars.
Names and locations of persons killed by WalMart Stores Inc. personnel-
Russell S. Palmer, 38- Kansas City, Missouri Dec. 2008
Patrick Donovan, 53- North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Stacy Driver, 30- Atascocita, Texas Aug. 2005 at about 2 p.m. Death ruled a homicide- WalMart paid $750,000 to the family.
Floyd Watson- Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jan M. Burstein, 29- Las Vegas, Nevada Sept. 2001 Death ruled a homicide
http://forums.securityinfowatch.com/archive/index.php/t-140.html
WalMart/Waltons- Ask not what your corporate employer can do for your wages or health care, ask only what you can do to increase tobacco product sales for your corporate employer multi-billionaire’s ever increasing inherited and largely stolen, illegally and immorally gotten wealth.
hello i’m in georgia and just got off the phone with the local sheriff office gang task force and the rumor is false they toldme they bhave no reason to believe that it is real or will be of any real threat in the near future i have also spoken with the GBI and Fbi gang task force which also denounce the rumor and say that if this was true no one would know about it and that there is rto many people that know about it for it to be credable but rest assured your local police agency will have extra security at your local walmart for a couple of days just in case someone does actually try this but from all the police agencies i have spoken with this is not true and is not a creadable threat that should be taken serously
Just received this email in Oklahoma.
Alert to anyone in Oklahoma
“There was a warning on the news tonight about this and my daughter also received 3 messages on her cell phone. As part of a gang intiation, 3 females somewhere in Oklahoma were to be shot at a Walmart tonight or tomorrow. Don’t know if this is a hoax but law inforcement and Walmart are taking this seriously. Please pass this on. “
We got it in Georgia and Alabama too!!
We got it here in Rochester, NY
this possibly could not be a hoax. maybe they’re trying to scare people and then when things die down, actually attempt this terrible thing. some people are so ignorant! If it does happen, be right With God!
I just got off work from there at 6am, nothing happened last nite, although I was a little freaked out, especially when I am alone when everyone else goes to breaks and lunches. One of the big guys from walmart sent a message for all the women associates to hear, saying there was no truth to this, BUT..me and my wandering mind, thinks it could be their way of not scaring us so we come to work. I dunno what to believe, one of my supervisors said it was going to happen in Ohio(where i am)at our store. But I hear all these other states. He was told the nite before, and told not to tell anyone! There were no cops there or anything to even keep an eye on the place.I am still pretty scared. I have a family who needs me :*(
I received this email purportedly from the South African police services … looks like a South African version of the Wal-mart hoax :
“It was early evening and a young girl stopped to get petrol. She filled her tank and walked to the convenience store. As she went to pay, the cashier told her ‘Don’t pay yet…..walk around the store for a while and act as if you’re picking up some other things to buy. A man just got into the back of your car.. I’ve called the police and they’re on their way’.
When the police arrived, they found the man in the back seat of the girl’s car and asked him what he was doing. He replied, he was joining a gang and the initiation to join is to kidnap a woman and bring her back to the gang to be raped by every member of the gang. If the woman is still alive by the time they are finished with her then they let her go.
According to the police that night, it is rumoured (not yet confirmed) that there is a new gang being formed whose initiation qualifier is as detailed above.
The scary part of this is that because the guy didn’t have a weapon on him.
The police could only charge him with trespassing….He’s back on the street and free to try again.”
Ok, i really do not think that was a hoax only because in OH where i live around, there was a shooting at a Wal Mart in alliance, and it was 2 women…and yes it was by gangs…so maybe it might be a hoax in some states but in other states it was real…
Many of my friends in the Acadiana area received an email yesterday about the supposed Wal-Mart Gang Initiation. As I had some lightbulbs to return to Wal-Mart, I said, “Great. I’m going tonight. The lines will be short!” Sure enough, the store was nearly empty, and I didn’t wait at all to make my return or to pay for my purchases. I say have a gang initiation rumor everynight. Keeps the crowds away!
Wait so was this all across the US or just select states
Re #158 – And the news article about this “Wal-Mart shooting” of two women in Alliance, Ohio can be found where?
That’s the problem with supplying too many details – you can actually confirm (or rebut) such a claim.
I live in OH and I just got the text about Walmart this morning from a friend. Good to know it false. I’m not going to tell my boyfriend though…he agreed to do all my shopping tonight after work. lol!
I dont think that people are just putting things like this to actually scare people, but rarher as a warning in some cases. We all know how fast word of mouth travels and how details get changed along the way, but in some cases, things like this are true. I live in MD, and I remember in the early nineties the police used to hand out flyers about the “headlight initiation”, because it was actually true. Just last year a couple of my fellow church members fell victim to the “car bumping” scheme, they werent acts of gang initiations but they were robberies and car jackings. I also beleive the Walmart/Target story has resurfaced because we actually have serial killer on the loose in PG County MD, this person has already killed two sets of mother and daughter in the past month within a mile of each other and if anyone remembers when the Walmart initiation story first came about it was directed to mothers and daughters last summer. I think people are just connecting the two stories and its spreading like wild fire. Even though some of these stories are not true, they still have some origin so be cautious.
What most impresses me is how many people are passing-on this rumor (or continuing to believe it’s true) ON AN URBAN LEGENDS PAGE…
HEARD IT HERE IN CLINTON NJ TOO
GOOGLED IT LAST NIGHT
HOAX
THANK YOU
Anything can happen. I’m from down South and a lot of stuff like that happens. You just have to trust in God that everything will be okay!!
I’m in Canada and my husband received that text today that 3 women would be killed at Walmart as part of a gang thing. Being a skeptic at heart I asked the simple questions of “Which Walmart? When? What do the police have to say to this?” and then promptly visited this site and Snopes.com.
It is a sad state of affairs when someone gets their jollies in starting such a rumour. I hope that people will help squish it immediately as we don’t need to be awashed with fear when doing some simple shopping.
“More recently we’ve been subjected to “car bumping” warnings, which claim that Mexican gang members go out and rear-end other vehicles on purpose and shoot the occupants in cold blood.” That just happened to Houston Rocket Carl Landry. He was driving and 2 hispanic males bumped into his car and then once Landry got out of the car to assess the damage and the two guys got out of their car and started shooting at him. The police have not said it was gang related but maybe it is.
i recieved alot of text messages yesterday about the walmart gang initiation, and they were almost all different. some mentioned every walmart, some specifically mention the walmarts near me in NE ohio, its stupid. people need 2 come up with better things to do
I’m in Alabama I got this text from many different people all day long yesterday. I’m sure it’s not true, but will still be watching my back. This is a good time to take a look at your life and make sure you know where you are going when you die! God bless!!!!
My son’s teacher told him. It is running rampent in Charlotte, NC. The kids are sending it through text messages to all of their friends. Because I couldn’t find it on the news I started researching it myself.
This is dumb. People (especially stupid ones) are easily manipulated and frightened. I work at a store next to a Walmart, and it was all but empty at 8 pm last night. It is funny how many idiots take crap like this seriously.
i got a text to from my cousin i was very scared and worried at the time whoever started this is a coward who needs to be slapped! god bless and i hope all is well with this situation!
Heard it hear in MT
My mother-in-law called and asked me not to go to walmart over this. It seemed odd so i checked online for stores and now see it was a hoax. People need to get a life and quit making up stories.
I live in the Pittsburgh area and this Walmart gang initiation rumor is floating around here too.
I just got the text this morning while I was still laying in bed. Not thinking, I forwarded it to my girlfriends. Once I got up (being the skeptic I am) I looked it up, only to find that I had been fooled; I promptly texted everyone AGAIN to appologize for the hoax. *grrr*
wow
I got like a million texts about this.
)
& I’m from a smalltown in Wisconsin. (no, I don’t own a cow & no, i don’t talk funny
holy crap.
News spreads!
http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/2009/03/18/police-walmart-gang-initation-rumors-are-false.htm
there are like over 1470 Comments on this one!!!! lol….
Connecticut too. School sent an email out too about it haha.
” Dont nothin go to walmart tonight. Gang initiation to shoot 3 women tonight. Not sure which walmart. And confirmed on tv. fwd to all girls in ur phone”
It’s also going around New Jersey!
I’ve recieved about 4 or 5 forwarded text messages about this whole thing going on. They all say 3 men and 3 women are supposed to get shot at all Canton, OH WalMarts soon.I don’t believe any of it, but you never know, you know with all that this country is going through right now.
God Bless everyone, and if it happens to be real, be careful.
Ohio too .
I didn’t get it . Considering I don’t have texting .
My friends and family did tho.
Even a couple of my school teachers ! lol.
I think it’s fake tho . But not going to walmart for a while ; just to be safe :]
Doesn’t everyone remember the telephone game?!? It is quite possible that the initation got out of the gang and someone knew something. So they sent out texts/emails. Could have possilby been real and the sheer volume of it could possibly persueded the gangs not to do it. As for the people saying this is stupid and people have better stuff to do…you should be thanking your family and friends for sending you the message, because hoax or not, those people care about you and want you to be safe. Southeastern WI.
i work at walmart in minnesota it was really dead last night who ever started the rumor again got what they wanted 2 scare ppl
i got it to saying if i go to walmart 3 girls 3 boys &3adults were gonna get killed if they went there not to say don’t go bye there any more but to be carefull
it’s the zombie apocalypse! RUN FOR YOU LIVES!!!!
regards, jo.
i received the txt 4 times from friends. i live in vancouver canada….gang warfare has been a problem since january. this seems more real for us and i’m unsure as to whether it may happen. my mom also works at walmart and i’m extremely worried for her safety.
this hoax idea would make for one awesome southpark episode lol. its brilliant
Well my brother in law txt me this… he was freaked out but i knew it was a hoax just by it being passed around by TXT and not breaking news on TV. It does make me nervous this will be putting an idea in someone or some gangs heads to do!
My daughter heard this from her 6th grade teacher. I am more disappointed than ever with her school.
Well this just shows how quick sum rumor can get spread over the whole USA , but i never believed it , lol i went to wallmart the same night i got the text and look here i am typing on my computer, to prove to these ppl who actually start that s— , if your going to start sumthing like that either do it ur self to start an epidemic or just dont do it at all its pointless and childish
I think that even though it could be a rumor, I think it would be good to be careful and keep a look out. You never know something like this could actually be true or actually happen.
I live in Vancouver B.C. Canada and it’s going around here too. Glad to hear it’s not true. i wish people would stop trying to scare us, the world is bad enough we don’t need this B.S going around.
Just got the text message up here in Vancouver, Canada. Since there has been a epidemic of gang violence here, I’m not surprised this one is being sent around. Thank goodness for google, urbanlegends and snopes for relieving a little bit of potential terror.
My child’s daycare school told me when I went to pick her up. The teacher said it had been on the news. She said she called her brother who works at Walmart and he told her management was being very careful. So apparently the employees at the local Walmart believe it to be true.
I never got the text, but I heard people talking about it on a website.
Yeah, It even reached Georgia. I’m glad it’s just a hoax.
I work for Wal*Mart in Englewood, Co and they told us not to say anything unless customers ask. Thankfully no one did and I’m glad its a hoax.
It’s hit Washington. I had my sister check something on my old phone while I was gone tonight and she told me that I had gotten a text message and not to go to Walmart. I read the first article a couple days ago and told her that it was on the internet that it’s a hoak
The rumour has made its way all the way to Canada. Im in Toronto, and we’ve also been getting these messages. Not to menion, many facebook users have posted this rumour as their status, so soon it will be worldwide.
It’s sad really, that people actually get joy out of putting the fear in others.
I personally don’t believe that it is a hoax. I think that this is just a way for police to keep down panic; by telling people that it is hoax. I have a long time personal friend in Atlanta, GA who is a police officer and he stated to me…that although he is not suppose to talk about it, these things are very real and he told me if I didn’t need to go to wal mart, that I should stay away. I think that if these type of things are true and begin to circulate, I don’t think that police should be made to “cover it up”. That is how people get injured or killed. I think they should be honest about it and give people the opportunity to protect themselves or remove themselves from harm’s way. I also have a close friend who works at WalMart who says they had to call the police to her store Friday morning because their parking lot lights had been tampered with…meaning that several of them were not working that morning when they got to work. Hoax??? I think not!
i havent received a text yet about it but everyone in my town and the 3 towns surrounding were talking about this last night. i decided to go to martinsville, va and there were cops in the parking lot watching over everything so that freaked me out because that made me think that it was true. ive heard variations such as targeting women and small female children to going in and shooting 3 employees and leaving. anyways there are 4 walmarts nearby and police cars were watching over all 4…which is comforting but still scary… what is this world coming to!? even if a hoax.. the killings in alabama on random people a couple of weeks ago.. and of a family in conover, nc as well… things are just popping up everywhere. everyone seems to be going crazy and really.. its creeping me out!
It’s crossed the border to Canada!!! I got a couple texts yesterday about it. I didn’t believe it, but it sure has people freaked out seeing as there have been many gang related shooting so far this year.
IS THIS REAL
yeah,i live in oklahoma and i got a text on my phone,but i heard it was a hoax so idk what to believe??
I thought this was all made up too until last night when a lady at the Monroe, North Carolina Wal-mart got shot.They are trying to figure out if its linked or a coincidence. I wont be in a wal-mart any time soon.
Ya… we had rumor this last Wednesday in Columbia, SC…the police were all over the Wal-Mart parking lot where I work. I didn’t get a text because I have a Tracfone and I never turn it on…yayyyyyyyyy.
I just found out about it like 25 mins ago. I just heard it from a family member. I was going to go to Walmart too (closest store near by) and cash my WIC check so I have milk in the morning for my child. I’m in Tacoma,Wa and we do have a lot of gangs and gang violence. I mean I’ve heard enough that it’s a hoax but then I’m still worried about other idiots. A lady said she heard it over police scanners last night. I doubt anything will happen but I’ll just go to Safeway to be on the safe side
Stupid people who started this whole thing….you have no life and need to get one…don’t mess with mothers da*n it!!!!
yea none of dis is true ok i dont know why people r scared its not true its just a stupid forward trust me my friends dad is a cop and he said none of it is even true ok
its going on here in atlanta! its crazy. i heard 2 women were actually killed in union city.. so i dont know whether to believe it or not! its scary though..
our walmart had police all over it and had police escort the employees to their cars…but the thing is…they could trace where the texts started from…they did it on csi once…it would take a while to do…but they can trace it back…so are they?
I got a text from my sis-law , saying in the news and to pass on message to all my friends
This “rumor” began circulating in Clarksville Tennessee on Monday, March 16th. On March 19th there was a reported shooting at a Walmart in Clarksville Tennessee. Now I don’t know if it is a result of the rumor or not, but it did happen.
yeah it reached VA too. you pretty much risk getting shot any day you go to wal-mart. this is stupid.
After some investigation I was unable to find the story and I should have investigated before posting. No one seems to know about the shooting so Im going to say it was a rumor also. Sorry for the misinformation
My friend is a police officer in a big town with a Wal Mart. He recieved a warning to be on the look out for whatever’s supposed to happen there.
Unless the police systems are corrupt (I think they are pretty accurate) I wouldn’t dub it as a rumor just yet.
I am glad I found this info. My dad told me a few days ago that there would be a gang initiation shooting at our local Wal-Mart here in South Carolina. My mom and I were scared and have stayed away from Wal-Mart the past few days. However nothing of interest has happened at our local Wal-Mart this week. This could end up hurting Wal-Mart sales if this rumor is not stopped.
I’m from the city, Fall River where the two men posing as cops are from. This is not a gang conspiracy, just another example of dumb criminals doing horrible things and getting caught. Its a common occurence in Fall River, it’s not the brightest place in the US
Might I add…wouldn’t Target stand to gain a lot of business from this rumor? Maybe THATS the conspiracy here…Hmm….
Wouldn’t it be ironic if the only conspiracy here was that someone from Target created this rumor? I mean, think of all the business they stand to gain? Hmmm….
I am from Clarksville, Tn where this all supposedly started. I have not received any texts about this but have heard through word of mouth. I kinda agree that it was probably a competing company but, we have a lot of gang violence in this tiny town so who knows. While I don’t believe it will happen I still haven’t gone to wal-mart just can’t take the risk.
I got this info as well and I’m in Virginia…so glad it’s a hoax!
My mom called me two days ago. She said that out cousin’s friend was related to a gang member and that this friend was warning all the ladies she knew not to go to a Wal-Mart. My mom believed it, I completely brushed it off. We live in Canada near the Vancouver area on the west coast. Rumors can sure spread far and fast!!
rumors going on in Reno, NV too.
obama was born in africa,he went to school in indosia.he came to this country in his mid teens,he is not a natural born citizen,he is a fraud.
What does that have to do with this topic????
haha, South Jersey’s always late to these sorts of things, but I’ve been hearing it in school all day. lol, I need to go to walmart this week, too.
Got it here in WA too
Wow, am I in a closet, firts I heard about this was to day and came roght up to reserch it. People are so crazy that even if it started as a rumor, never know who might try to make it true to get attention, be careful everyone.
Just got this on 2009-03-25 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Just got an email warning not to go to Walmart this weekend in Calgary, Alberta Canada “We were just at ringette practice and our friend on the team, an emergency nurse at the Foothills, told us that the police were in the emergency ward yesterday, warning them that a gang leader was in town this weekend for an initiation and to be prepared. Apparently, the initiation will be a random killing of 3 women at a Walmart store.” I find this amazing that this “hoax” has a ring of truth to it because of the specific details. I don’t know whether to believe it or not. In Calgary anything is possible.
Hearing about it here, Calgary AB.
Here in Salisbury, NC, the e-mail was sent yesterday, but I hadn’t opened it. At first I was horrified, and then it just seemed so scary, that I decided to check it out. Glad I did, because I was ready to find out why it wasn’t announced on local news.
Got this in CT too.
THATS SO CRAZY….I DIDNT EVEN KOWN THIS WAS HAPPENING…LOL…THANK GOD I DNT LIVE THERE…CAUSE I WOULD BE SO SCARD
here in the town I live in in Texas, it got so bad that it was even SPECIFIC to which WalMart it was! Stay away from the NORTH SIDE Walmart. Weird.