Fact check: Video shows crowd panicking after firecrackers, not a mass shooting in Pennsylvania

Dezimey Kum, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Video shows a mass shooting on July 4 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

In the wake of the Highland Park shooting, a livestreamed video circulating on Facebook purports to show the aftermath of a mass shooting at another July 4 celebration – this time in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Active shooter in harrisburg," reads a July 4 Facebook post that accumulated over 70 shares within one day.

The video shows a crowd of people gathered around to watch a fireworks display.

Similar claims have garnered hundreds of interactions on Facebook.

However, there was no shooting.

Local authorities said a fight broke out, and people in the area panicked after firecrackers were thrown onto the ground, and someone yelled, “Gun!” No shots were fired.

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USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook users who shared the claim for comment.

Police from several municipalities search downtown Highland Park, Ill., on July 4 after the mass shooting at a parade.
Police from several municipalities search downtown Highland Park, Ill., on July 4 after the mass shooting at a parade.

No shooting occurred

Harrisburg Police Commissioner Thomas Carter said in a press conference on July 5 that a fight broke out between multiple minors around 9 p.m. at Harrisburg's Front Street fireworks show.

"We have investigated and looked into it. There was no active shooters," Carter said. "Nobody can tell us with any certainty that they saw a gun or anything like that."

Carter said police used mace to break up the fight, and one person was arrested. There were no significant injuries reported from the incident.

“It was just that initial word, gun, that caused all that chaos,” Carter explained. “It’s understandably so because we’re living in a time when active shooters are prevalent.”

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The juveniles who started the fight were not from Harrisburg, Mayor Wanda Williams said at the same press conference.

"I want to assure the public that it is safe to come to the events in the city of Harrisburg," Williams said. "We will not tolerate the juveniles coming into the city of Harrisburg and causing chaos like that."

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a video shows a mass shooting in Harrisburg. Attendees panicked amid a fight when someone shouted there was a gun. But police found no indication anyone had a gun, and no shots were fired.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim of mass shooting on July 4 in Harrisburg