Fake social media profiles of Texas school suspect pop up

After Dimitrios Pagourtzis was identified as a suspect in the Santa Fe High School shooting on May 18, 2018, fake Facebook profiles of Pagourtzis were created. The reported fake accounts have been flagged by people on social media.



Image source: Twitter



Scroll ahead to see how to spot internet hoaxes and fake news. less After Dimitrios Pagourtzis was identified as a suspect in the Santa Fe High School shooting on May 18, 2018, fake Facebook profiles of Pagourtzis were created. The reported fake accounts have been flagged by ... more Photo: Twitter Photo: Twitter Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Fake social media profiles of Texas school suspect pop up 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

Fake profiles of the suspected shooter in the Santa Fe High School shooting that left 10 people dead and at least 10 wounded on Friday have reportedly popped up on Facebook and Instagram.

Screenshots of Facebook profiles attributed to Dimitrios Pagourtzis are being shared on Twitter, with people identifying them as possibly being created to push propaganda.

SCHOOL SHOOTING: Shooter identified in Santa Fe High School rampage that killed 10

"Almost immediately after the [alleged] shooter in Santa Fe, Texas, was identified, someone set up a fake Facebook profile in his name, trying to portray him as a Hillary Clinton supporter, and linking him to antifa," tweeted @RVAwonk on Friday.

Almost immediately after the shooter in Santa Fe, Texas, was identified, someone set up a fake Facebook profile in his name, trying to portray him as a Hillary Clinton supporter, and linking him to antifa. pic.twitter.com/xtINTwMYzN — Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) May 18, 2018

A Facebook search for profiles of Pagourtzis on Friday afternoon after @RVAwonk's tweet did not produce results.

A girl closes her eyes and says prayer during a candlelight vigil for victims and survivors of the Santa Fe High School shooting at Texas First Bank on Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe. Hundreds participated and Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz also spoke at the vigil. less A girl closes her eyes and says prayer during a candlelight vigil for victims and survivors of the Santa Fe High School shooting at Texas First Bank on Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe. Hundreds participated ... more Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 93 Caption Close TX: Shooting at Santa Fe High School 1 / 93 Back to Gallery

According to the Twitter screenshot, the creator of the purported fake Facebook account photo-shopped a Hillary 2016 hat onto Pagourtzis' head, along with an antifa photo as the banner.

MORE: Teen suspect in Santa Fe shooting promoted 'born to kill' shirt, German nationalist symbols on Facebook

@RVAwonk wasn't the only person to point out that fake accounts being created on social media.

10 people were killed in a shooting this morning at a high school south (Santa Fe) of Houston, TX.



Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17 was the shooter.



minutes after the shooting a trump supporter made this fake FB page with him wearing a Hillary hat.



Pathetic.#santafehighschool pic.twitter.com/S46tQ9BXIt — Molly 💪♀️ (@Molly3186) May 18, 2018

The right wing are already making fake accounts of the Sante Fe Texas shooting suspect Dimitrios Pagourtzis.



How did he manage to update his page at 6:38 Uk time when he was already in custody by 4:59 uk time?? pic.twitter.com/ySwbon0ksH — Imran (@KhanUR1983) May 18, 2018

Hey @facebook someone made what appears to be a fake account 15 minutes ago using name "Dimitri Pagourtzis" - who is police custody after the #SantaFe shooting - and photo-shopped a Hillary Clinton hat in the profile picture + added cover photo that reads "action antifasciste" pic.twitter.com/04hUsjBabs — Courtney Norris (@courtneyknorris) May 18, 2018

A fake Instagram account titled "dimitriospagourtzisis" shows video of a male covering his face with an NFL jersey. The account also popped up on social media Friday. The unidentified person recorded video of himself with numerous expletives. He also said "This is going to keep going on." It's not immediately clear if his commentary is related to the Santa Fe High School shooting.

Authorities identified Pagourtzis, 17, on Friday as the suspect in the Santa Fe High School shooting. Police said at least 10 people died in the shooting and 10 others were injured. He has been arrested, officials said Friday.

Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters in a Friday afternoon conference that the suspect used a shotgun and a .38-caliber revolver owned by his father. He had planned on killing himself.

Pagourtzis' now-defunct Facebook page included photos of a T-shirt that read "Born to Kill" and a black military uniform adorned with German national symbols.

Will Axford is a digital reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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