NEW YORK -- The New York Times briefly removed a report Thursday describing how the Umpqua Community College gunman ordered people to stand up and state their religion, a brief story that had already been picked up by several news outlets and spread across social media.
Fox News anchor Shep Smith read from the Times story on-air during his network's coverage of the shooting, but later noted in the broadcast that it was pulled from he Times' website.
The Times' republished article now acknowledges the student's account of the shooting had been provided to "a local newspaper" and links to The News-Review of Roseburg, Oregon.
A Times spokeswoman said the lack of attribution was not intentional and noted the article now links to the original source.
But it's understandable why news outlets assumed the Times first reported the details from the shooting.
Here's how The News-Review reported the account:
Kortney Moore, 18, from Rogue River, was in her Writing 115 class in Snyder Hall when one shot came through a window. She saw her teacher get shot in the head. The shooter was inside at that point, and he told people to get on the ground. The shooter was asking people to stand up and state their religion and then started firing away, Moore said. Moore was lying there with people who had been shot.
The original Times story, without attribution, is as follows:
Kourtney Moore, 18, from Rogue River, Ore., was in her Writing 115 class at Snyder Hall when she heard a shot come through the window.
She said she watched as her teacher was shot in the head. The gunman was inside the building at that point, she said, and was ordering people to get on the ground.
Ms. Moore said the man asked people to stand up and state their religion, and then he began firing.
Ms. Moore said she was on the floor with people who had been shot.