Facebook has labeled the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a "mass murder" and removed the suspect's Facebook and Instagram accounts. Two people were killed and one injured Tuesday evening after an event announcing a "call to arms" against protests against Black Lives Matter was broadcast on the platform.
"We called this shootout a mass murder and removed the shooter's accounts from Facebook and Instagram," a company spokesman said in a statement to Digital Trends. "At this point in time, we didn't find any evidence on Facebook to suggest that the shooter followed the Kenosha Guard Page or that he was invited to the event page they organized."
A Facebook group called Kenosha Guard posted a list of events on Tuesday afternoon calling on its followers to "take up arms and defend our city from the evil thugs tonight" when protests rocked the city for the third year in a row. According to The Verge, the event was also promoted by InfoWars.
Since Sunday, activists and residents of Kenosha have been protesting every evening against the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake by the police set fire to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections building. Blake was shot seven times by an officer after Blake tried to de-escalate a fight between two women. He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition.
On Tuesday evening, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was featured in videos posted on social media with a rifle, connecting with other armed groups, before shooting at a group of protesters. Rittenhouse also gave an interview with The daily caller on the same night, It is his job to "protect people". He has since been arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection with the shooting that killed two people and one injured.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to Digital Trends on Wednesday that the Kenosha Guard page had been removed for violating the "Dangerous People and Organizations" policy with regard to militia organizations - and that work was being done to create additional content and accounts related to the shootings Identify and remove Tuesday evening. The company said it will continue to remove content that praises the shooting and prevents copycat accounts on behalf of the shooter from showing up.
Facebook has received increasing criticism in recent weeks for dealing with violent extremism and hate speech on its platform that has led to violence in the real world. Last week, the company rolled out a new policy aimed at moderating groups and restricting content that incites and glorifies violence. It removes thousands of accounts associated with the far-right conspiracy group QAnon.
However, the Tuesday night filming may be an indication that Facebook's latest policy is not producing any real-world results. According to reports from The Verge, two Facebook users reported the Kenosha Guard group ahead of Tuesday's protest and learned that they were not violating the platform's guidelines.
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