Just hours after the DC Navy Yard shooting that killed at least 12 people on Monday, a subreddit popped up on Reddit called "/findnavyyardshooters," which sparked witch hunt to find the two remaining shooters of the DC area tragedy.
"We can do it, Reddit. Let's look for clues about who the perps are, and post them. Any thing goes but there's one rule: NO PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT LEADS UNLESS YOU'RE REALLY SURE," wrote Reddit user uglyredditors in the thread description shortly before the subreddit was banned.
According to an email to the Reddit user directed toward Mashable, user uglyredditors was attempting to use the subreddit to make a satirical statement about Reddit witch hunts, particularly focusing on when Reddit falsely accused various people during the Boston Marathon Bombing in April.
Still, while the intention was that of a farce, the subreddit was clearly taken seriously by the community, which was quickly shut down due to its call for personal information. You have to wonder exactly was going through this Reddit users mind at the time and if during the midst of a mass shooting is really the time or the place to pull a ridiculous stunt like that.
[via The Washington Post]
