Officials said the gunman live-streamed the attack on Twitch, the Amazon-owned live-streaming site that is popular with gamers.
Twitch said it took the channel offline within two minutes of the violence starting. The channel’s page only states that the channel is “currently unavailable due to a violation of Twitch’s community guidelines or terms of service.”
In a statement, a Twitch spokesperson said the site “has a zero-tolerance policy against any form of violence and works quickly to respond to any incidents. Users have been suspended indefinitely from our service and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring any accounts that replay this content.”
Screenshots of the broadcast went viral online, with several showing the shooter holding a gun and standing over a body in a grocery store.
In a manifesto allegedly posted by the shooter on the 4chan forums, he wrote that he would be using a GoPro Hero 7 Black camera to “live stream the attack on Twitch”, choosing to “all Anyone with internet can watch and record.” He noted that take a shot at a synagogue in Halle, Germany, in 2019 also streamed on Twitch.
Other social media posts show what is believed to be a list of instructions the shooter made for himself – a to-do list that includes “keep writing the manifesto” and “check the job” ability to go live before the actual attack” – on the Discord messaging platform. The Discord username matches the name of the Twitch channel.
Discord has taken steps to improve its content moderation in recent years – especially after white supremacists used the site to plan the “Unite Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017. But it still relies heavily on user reports, especially in the private servers only available to recipients. inviting and less visible outside.
Discord said it was investigating the posts, which were made on a private server, and was working with law enforcement officials but would not comment further.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families, and we will do everything we can to assist law enforcement in their investigation,” the company said.
