Ian Murdock, known for starting the Debian project, filled up his Twitter feed with a traumatic experience he seems to have gone through with the police.

Update: 12/29/2015 – Ian Murdock’s Twitter account has been taken down. There has also been no update on his blog.

Update: 12/30/2015 – Docker.com is reporting that Ian Murdock has passed away, no details were given but we will continue to bring updates as they come.

Update: 12/30/2015 – Tweets in memory of Ian are starting to appear.

Update: 12/30/2015 – VentureBeat is confirming that Ian has passed, no comment from Docker and the San Francisco PD has not issued a statement.

Update: 01/01/2016 – We have new details posted about the night Murdock passed away here on Techaeris.

Here is to Ian Murdock: thanks for @Debian, we wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for you, wish you were too. pic.twitter.com/kXHq17iAag — riseup.net (@riseupnet) December 30, 2015

Original story:

It all started with his first tweet today where he announced that he would commit suicide.

i’m committing suicide tonight.. do not intervene as i have many stories to tell and do not want them to die with me #debian #runnerkristy67 — Ian Murdock (@imurdock) December 28, 2015

He has since declared that he won’t take that drastic step and over the course of many tweets, he has released some of the details which prompted these tweets. Apparently, he was attacked by the police for “knowing” on his neighbor’s door. We’re not sure exactly what he means by that, though it could be an auto-correct for “knocking.”

I’ll write more on my blog later. But the police here beat me up for knowing on my neighbor’s door.. they sent me to the hospital. — Ian Murdock (@imurdock) December 28, 2015

He also tweeted that his bail for “assault against a police officer” was $25,000. This implies that he spent some time in jail. He has announced that he’s writing up his experiences and that he’ll publish them on his blog.

i’m going to post my case on my blog.. if anyone can post it on hacker news or wherever i would apprieciate it — Ian Murdock (@imurdock) December 28, 2015

We’re waiting for more details and we’ve reached out to him via Email and Twitter. We’re also aware that he might have lost control of his Twitter account and someone else might be behind these tweets. We will be sure to post any updates when we hear more, either from his Twitter feed or from his blog. He has also invited help from anyone who can give it.

(1/2) The rest of my life will be devoted to fighting against police abuse.. I’m white, I made $1.4 million last year, — Ian Murdock (@imurdock) December 28, 2015

(2/2) They are uneducated, bitter, and and only interested in power for its own sake. Contact me imurdock@imurdock.com if you can help. -ian — Ian Murdock (@imurdock) December 28, 2015

Strange things are going on for sure, and we’ll continue to hope that everything is ok.