Fact Check: Was Chad Williams' social media deleted before his identity was revealed?

TWIN FALLS, IDAHO: Conspiracy theories have flooded social media following the deadly In-N-Out shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho, with many users claiming that suspected gunman Chad Williams' social media accounts were deleted before law enforcement publicly identified him. 

The rumor spread in the aftermath of the August 1, 2026, attack, which left three people dead and seven others injured. Let’s fact-check the claim.

Claim: Chad Williams' social media account was deleted before police identified him

Following the deadly Idaho shooting, social media users flooded online platforms with unverified claims about the gunman's identity. Speculation surrounding 24-year-old Chad Williams spread rapidly on Sunday, August 2, as police released only limited information about the case.

The Twin Falls Police said Williams "acted alone" and confirmed that his parents were cooperating with investigators as they worked to determine a motive.

As often happens after high-profile mass shootings, internet users began searching for Williams' online presence. However, they failed to find any verified social media accounts or a clear digital footprint linked to the 24-year-old before the August 1 attack.

That absence fueled speculation, with some users claiming authorities had scrubbed Williams' social media accounts before police publicly identified him.

One X user wrote, "Have they scrubbed Chad Williams' social media accounts yet? When they don't know much about the shooter, it's usually a Leftist flake," fueling further speculation about the suspect's political affiliation despite the lack of evidence supporting those claims.

Fact Check: False, no evidence that social media accounts were removed

There is no evidence that anyone deleted Chad Williams' social media accounts before authorities identified him as the suspect.

Officials have not reported the removal of any accounts, and no credible evidence supports claims that someone scrubbed his online presence.

Likewise, police have not released any information about Williams' political views, despite viral posts attempting to link him to both the Democratic Party and the MAGA movement.

Online speculation also led some users to dox the social media profile of another person named Chad Williams, falsely claiming he served in the US Navy.

However, authorities have provided no information connecting the suspect to military service or to the profile shared online. The shooting occurred at about 2:29 pm MDT on Saturday, leaving three people dead and at least seven others injured.

On Sunday, August 2, In-N-Out Burger confirmed that two of the victims, one killed and one injured, were company employees. Officials have not publicly identified the remaining victims. The tragedy also triggered a wave of misinformation about the shooter's identity. 

During a Sunday press conference, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks addressed the false claims directly, confirming that one person whom online users had wrongly identified as the suspect "had no involvement in this incident whatsoever." 

Hicks also confirmed that Chad Williams died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.