There is no surprise left in chronicling how the Internet infuses our lives, shapes our reality, even defines our truths. But perhaps never before had a man accused of mass murder — images of his Facebook page already were racing through cyberspace and flashing on television screens — so quickly begun the arduous process of setting the record straight
That likely was small comfort to Ryan Lanza, 24, who on the same day would learn that his brother, Adam, 20, had allegedly gunned down their mother and more than two dozen other people at a Connecticut elementary school before killing himself. It was not clear what caused the initial confusion about which Lanza was the shooter.
Yet it was hard not to marvel at the drama as it exploded virtually across computer screens worldwide.
Ryan Lanza’s Facebook page bore a contemplative profile picture, with his head tilted up and chin protruding, yet his eyes were covered by dark sunglasses. Two minutes after first professing his innocence on the page, by accessing his account from a mobile phone, he gave an update: “I’m on the bus home now it wasn’t me.”
A friend named Jessica O’Brien replied sweetly: “Do you need anything ready for when you get home? Can I set anything out for you to grab and go? Anything else I can do.”
At the end was a yellow emoticon. It was frowning.
It was not possible to verify that the screen grab of Lanza’s Facebook page was authentic, but public records show that O’Brien and one of the other friends who commented on Lanza’s page shared an address with him in Hoboken, N.J.
If Lanza’s goal was to proclaim his innocence to the world, and to slow the fast fingers of journalists and others tweeting his Facebook profile, it worked. A digital editor here at The Washington Post sent out a newsroom-wide message at 2:40 p.m. cautioning that Ryan Lanza may not be the shooter and citing the debate that had sprung up about his Facebook page. A screen grab of Lanza’s protests of innocence, apparently circulated by a friend of his, was included.
Facebook issued a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut and our sympathies go out to the families and loved ones of the victims. Out of respect for those involved, and as this is an active law enforcement investigation, we are declining to comment further at this time.”
