Tucson Shooting Conspiracy Theories Upset Victims

On fringe sites around the web, a new conspiracy theory is being cultivated: the Jan. 8 shootings in Tucson, Arizona that took the lives of six and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), never actually took place.

According to the New York Times, believers of the theory, peddled primarily by conspiracy enthusiast Ed Chiarini, claim that the solemn day's events were all part of an elaborate government hoax carried out by Tucson-area actors.

Their proof?

Proponents say a number of people who popped up in television reports after the shooting, including the alleged shooter, Jared Loughner, supposedly looked like actors from the region, as well as from Hollywood.

To make these matters additionally upsetting to victims of the shooting, some believers in this movement have taken an aggressive approach in search of evidence to support their theory.

The Times reports:

"They tried to get into my home," said the victim, who asked that he not be identified because it might attract more such visitors. "They wanted to know if I had any pictures. They said they didn't believe the event took place."

The victim said that when he pressed the visitors for identification, one of them presented a business card that listed the Texas conspiracy site, which describes the shooting as an exercise conducted by the Department of Homeland Security. Other people connected to the case, including hospital personnel, victims' relatives and possible trial witnesses, have received similar visits or seen their images on the Web site, officials said.

Authorities from Pima County, Arizona, as well as the FBI, are now aware of the site's activity, the Times reports, though a representative from the FBI wouldn't disclose whether an investigation into its actions was underway.

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Comments

[Wingsweaver]

11:41 AM on 07/05/2011

Oh! And according to Mr. Chiarini's website (if that really is his real name, and not just a stage handle assigned to him by secret government contractors) President Obama is really Osama Bin Laden in disguise. He can tell from some of the facial markers and from having seen quite a few cons in his timel

[Wingsweaver]

11:24 AM on 07/05/2011

So apparently all the people who were involved in the Gabriel Giffords shooting are now collaborating to fake the Casey Anthony trial, including Casey herself who is really a "Pima County 9-1-1 operator" and the judge who is really a corrections officer after a couple hundred cheeseburgers. And this makes sense to some people?

[itsallashow]

10:12 AM on 05/30/2011

Hummmmm, I have been listening and just sounds like they are demonizing anyone that investigates outside of the box. Read this, it appears to be the truth instead of these AP lies
http://www.thegovernmentrag.com/NY TIMES applies dmage control.html

[MyrtleJune]

04:37 AM on 05/26/2011

Did they get ahold of some bad tea or something? geeeeze.

[Pastori Balele]

03:34 AM on 05/26/2011

All is fake! Where are we going with such horrendous conspiracies? You mean all these tornadoes are movies; Bin Laden death is fake, Newt Gingrich is not the same as one who had Contract America! You mean what I see around are not real people? Where are people coming up with such stupid conspiracy theories?

[cafebeege]

09:37 PM on 05/26/2011

Um hummm Pastori......1% of the general population is schizophrenic........and some of them are paranoid schizophrenic. What's fightening is that they are walking around and "appear" to be functioning relatively normally in many ways. THAT'S how they learned to survive in the world and their lives. And MANY are charasmatic and VERY convincing. Look at the Jone's Town leader......for that matter wasn't Hitler considered to be schizo ???

[Richard Simonsen Jr]

02:48 AM on 05/26/2011

Ugh. These people are out there man. Next thing you know they will say it was ghost people and lasers from space.

[slippery pete]

01:54 AM on 05/26/2011

Anyone care to guess which party these people vote for?

[boot55555]

05:43 PM on 06/02/2011

Dem, no doubt

[juhar]

01:52 AM on 05/26/2011

Doubting Thomas - nothing new. We need their doubters to search for the truth of matters because there may be a time when someone shouts wolf and a wolf might be there.

[Mark Helfgott]

01:48 AM on 05/26/2011

Who would believe such nonsense? It's obvious that this event actually happened.

[rccthatsme]

11:26 PM on 05/25/2011

Rule #1) Conspiracy theories only work if the bad guys are from the right. Heck Obama hired a noted believer that 911 was an inside job.

[slippery pete]

01:50 AM on 05/26/2011

I don't believe it was an inside job. I do believe they knew it was planned and coming and went well out of their way to make sure nobody intervened.

[rccthatsme]

12:48 PM on 05/26/2011

Any comment I make about your mental state and awareness of the real world would be deleted by a moderator so I shall only say I am glad you are not in my family, neighborhood, nor place of worship.

[LouiseM]

02:14 PM on 05/26/2011

They knew *something* was coming that involved planes. They probably thought it would be multiple, simultaneous instances of commonplace hijackings.

The building hits obviously stunned them, especially Bush. The reason he looked *so* stunned, was because they never anticipated that they "would fly planes into buildings." as Rice directly testified. The reason that Bush then got on a Air Force One to fly around for a day, is because he thought he was going to be implicated through his complicity in letting something happen.

Cheney was the only one not overwhelmed. He wanted to attack Iraq immediately, before he even knew who had done it. He'd obviously been running over all the potential scenarios for the various upcoming events, well before the actual event occurred. They did Let It Happen On Purpose. They just didn't know how terrible IT was going to be. Nobody ever asked the right questions of Bush, Cheney, or Rice.

[eric steven]

01:37 PM on 05/26/2011

Obama is no true Leftist. What has he do to put the thieves in the banking industry and wall st. behind bars where they belong? Or ended the atrocious attacks on women's reproductive rights?

He his a puppet meant to pacify the Left and was created to do so from before he was born.

[Pollytiques]

10:15 PM on 05/25/2011

[hagagaga]

09:39 PM on 05/25/2011

This sounds like a parody. Sadly, there are at least a few stupid people who believe it.

[Cliff Collipriest]

09:14 PM on 05/25/2011

These nutjobs need to be locked up in the same cell with Loughner and his gun.

[Mauri Helms]

09:04 PM on 05/25/2011

I just visited that site: "the individuals may look slightly different than their photos." No kidding, sherlock. I don't think it has to do with weight, makeup, and Hollywood effects as you claim... pretty sure it's just that they're 2 diffferent people. "but this down not change facial landmarks"-- you're correct! They all had two eyes, a nose between them, and a mouth underneath that. What a great detective.

[Peter Coti]

07:33 PM on 05/25/2011

I never understood conspiracy theory's. Why must people pick at scabs of people who are traumatized by these events? Anyone who makes horrible like this needs to seek psychiatric assistance.

[chowda]

08:52 PM on 05/25/2011

"theories"