No, 'Samson Hidy' Was Not The Shooter, Contrary To Familiar Hoax Spreading On Twitter

Internet veterans knew it was bound to happen, but knew not what form it would take. After the shooting at Donald Trump's rally last Saturday, it really was a matter of time before someone online would try to blame the event on Sam Hyde.

Sure enough, that person was the Twitter / X account @Amerpipedream, which "broke" the "news" that day that the shooter was identified as "Samson Hidy," showing a picture of Hyde with a gun.

Of course, neither Sam Hyde nor "Samson Hidy" was the assailant at Saturday's rally. That was Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was swiftly identified by the FBI following the incident.

Sam Hyde is a comedian and internet personality who is infamous for his vocal advocacy of alt-right interests and edgy jokes, among other controversial things. Since 2015, it has been a meme to blame a mass shooting on Hyde, though he has never been connected to any such event.

Though the "Sam Hyde is the shooter" meme has been circulating for nearly a decade, it's still largely a niche joke, and the joke tweet by @amerpipedream fooled some into thinking it was legitimate news. Others have tried to goad prominent conservatives into spreading the misinformation, with no success.

It appears that the majority of social media users are either playing along with the meme (responding with the ever-classic "He Can't Keep Getting Away With It") or writing it off as a lame, dead gag.

https://t.co/XaWuOHUZA5 pic.twitter.com/kC0OwvKwNZ

— yerm (@yyyerm) July 14, 2024