Gunman in California mass shooting paused to post on social media, authorities say
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The suspect in the mass shooting that left 13 people dead, including the gunman, in a Southern California bar Wednesday night paused his rampage to make a post on social media, local authorities report.
While Ian David Long's social media accounts have been scrubbed, he reportedly made two posts in the middle of the attack. Law enforcement did not say which social media platform was used, but did note he reflected on probable speculation about his mental health.
"Our hearts are with the victims and families affected by this horrendous act," said a statement from Facebook. "We've removed the shooter's accounts from Facebook and Instagram and will remove any praise or support for the crime or the shooter as soon as we're aware."
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Long died of a gunshot wound thought to be self-inflicted, and investigation is ongoing into his motives for the attack.
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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
