Facts Matter: Florida shooter's manifestos have not been released

A gunman, on Aug. 26, killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida.

Angela Michelle Carr, 52, A.J. Laguerre, 19, and Jerrald Gallion, 29, were shot by a 21-year-old white man who was wearing a mask and used a gun marked with a swastika, authorities said. The shooter then killed himself.

It has been reported that the gunman left behind some racist writings. Some social media users claimed the materials were released, while referring to a March shooting at a Nashville school.

"Anyone else notice how we got the Jacksonville shooter's manifesto within hours of the 'racially motivated' incident, but we still don't have the Nashville Trans Terrorist's manifesto 5 months after they murdered Christian schoolchildren? It's a simple explanation: One boosts the regime's racially divisive narrative The other doesn't," read a post that ran on several platforms.

But that's not accurate, according to the Associated Press. Authorities have not released the writings of either shooter. At a news conference, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said the shooter there had left a suicide note, a will and several manifestos with a "disgusting ideology of hate."

Those materials have not been released, sheriff's office spokesperson Allyn Kelly told the AP. He didn't say when they would be made public.

"Please keep in mind this is still a very active criminal investigation," Kelly said.

The 28-year-old Nashville gunman killed three children and three adults at The Covenant School before being fatally shot by police in March.

The shooter reportedly left behind 20 journals, a suicide note and a memoir, which have not been released to the public. A Presbyterian church, which shares a space with the Christian school, and parents of some students, are fighting in court to keep the writings from being released.

Fake Trump mugshots shared

Former President Donald Trump was arrested Aug. 24 in Fulton County, Georgia, after a grand jury indicted him and 18 others for allegedly trying to steal the 2020 presidential election in that state. Trump was fingerprinted and his mugshot was taken at the Fulton County Jail. A photo of the former president was posted on social media with the caption, "TRUMP MUGSHOT RELEASED."

The photo shows Trump with his head slightly tipped down with his hair extending over his forehead, and he appears to have a frown on his face. He is also wearing a striped tie, and there is a "Fulton County Sheriff's Office" stamp in the corner of the photo.

But this is not Trump's mugshot from Fulton County, according to USA Today. This fake mugshot was created using a Reuters photo from Nov. 20, 2020.

In the actual mugshot, which was shared by several news outlets and Trump himself, his head is tipped down and slightly to the side, his hair extends over his forehead and he appears to have a frown on his face. In the real shot, he's wearing a red tie and the sheriff's logo is much smaller.

Fauci didn't declare lockdowns

Some social media users are claiming Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is suggesting lockdowns.

"Fauci Declares That ALL Unvaccinated Citizens Must Be Locked Down This Winter," a post reads, while claiming Fauci urged President Joe Biden to implement a mandate to carry it out.

But that claim is false, according to the Associated Press. The posts show a screenshot of a story that originated on a website known to publish conspiracy theories and misinformation.

The Fauci story was based on an interview he did in April where he talked about lockdowns and how they can help if there isn't a vaccine. But he didn't suggest people should be locked down this winter.

Fauci told the AP this story is false. "I did not say that or anything remotely resembling that statement, nor would I advocate that. I do strongly advocate that unvaccinated people get vaccinated," he said.

Logos not embedded on the moon

India landed its Chandrayaan-3 rover on the moon on Aug. 24, the first country to land a spacecraft on the moon's south pole. Some social media users are sharing an image that supposedly shows artwork of the Indian State emblem and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) permanently imprinted on the surface of the Moon. The images sit between what appear to be tire tracks on a gray, dirt-like surface.

"Our National Symbol permanently imprinted on the surface of Moon today onward as Tyres of rover has this imprint, as there is no air on moon hence these marks will be forever," a post on X read.

But that image is not real, according to Reuters. It was digitally created before the rover landed on the Moon and first appeared on the Instagram account of Krishanshu Garg.

Garg posted an explanation of the image on his account.

"I'm deeply grateful for the overwhelming response to my artwork, and I want to express my appreciation for your support in making it go viral! However, I've seen a lot of people claiming it to be "Real Imprints" shared by ISRO. The moon imprints were designed as a countdown for the historic Chandrayan-3 Landing," he wrote.

• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.