x
Breaking News
More () »

Cobb GOP officials getting threats after member shared conspiracy theory that Fla. shooting was fake

The firestorm came after Cobb GOP 2nd vice chair Michael Davis shared a video suggesting last month's deadly Florida high school shooting had been faked.
Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Students wait at a crosswalk as they arrive to attend classes at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for the first time since the shooting that killed 17 people on February 14 at the school on February 28, 2018 in Parkland, Florida.

ATLANTA -- A local Republican party official has been taking some heat after sharing a conspiracy theory that called last month's Parkland, Fla. shooting 'fake.'

Now members of the Cobb County Republican Party say they are facing some serious, dangerous threats.

Cobb County GOP Chairman Jason Shepherd is bearing the brunt of the nasty voicemails, Facebook messages, texts and emails.

"We'll turn them over to the sheriff," Shepherd said.

The firestorm came after Michael Davis, second vice chairman of the Cobb County Republican Party, shared a video that suggested the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last month was a fraud.

The video starts with what appears to be a legitimate MSNBC news report on active shooter training at high schools in Florida. However, the voiceover shifts gears.

"This is a call for an uprising," the voice says. "Welcome to today's show."

The voiceover on the video begins commentary, suggesting these training drills could lead to bogus shootings with students acting.

RELATED | Local GOP official shares video claiming Fla. high school shooting was faked

"You don't think they could fake one of these things?" the voiceover asks.

11Alive's Natisha Lance tried to ask Davis why he made the post -- both in person and via telephone -- with no response.

Davis shared the video from Mike Nikolaou, whose Facebook profile says he lives in Athens, Greece.

Shepherd says he does not think the Florida shooting was faked.

"There's no doubt that this happened," Shepherd said.

Davis has since removed the Facebook post.

► Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 11Alive app now.

Taking a quick look at other videos from Nikolaou shows additional conspiracy-driven videos, including others that suggest that the Parkland shooting was faked.

Conspiracy theories of this sort are not new.

According to the New York Times, when nine black teens integrated Central High School in Little Rock in 1954, many segregationists said they were paid protesters imported from other states.

The NAACP issued a denial at the time, calling the stories pure propaganda. Today, however, with the expansion of social media, conspiracy theories can spread quickly unless counteracted with the truth.

PHOTOS | Shooting at Stoneman Douglas HS in Florida

Before You Leave, Check This Out