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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on October 16, 2022 in an Instagram post: A video shows an actor “getting into character before his press interview less than 24 hours after the supposed killing of his 6-year-old daughter.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"pants- fire\\"](\\" * Facebook Fact-checks * Guns * Instagram posts ![\\"Ciara](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke October 20, 2022 # No, this Sandy Hook shooting victim’s father isn’t an actor #### If Your Time is short * This parent of a Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim isn’t an actor. See the sources for this fact-check On Oct. 12, a Connecticut jury ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $965 million to the family members of victims in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and an FBI agent — people who said they were targeted and traumatized by Jones’ lie that the 2012 shooting was a hoax. Among the relatives of victims who Jones falsely claimed were actors hired as a plot to seize Americans’ guns: Robbie Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter, Emilie, was killed. A recent Instagram post echoes this claim. \"Never forget the main character #RobbieParker in the S@ndy Ho0k hoax getting into character before his press interview less than 24hrs after the supposed killing of his 6 year old daughter,\" the Oct. 15 post said. (It’s possible that the misspelled reference to the school was intentional to avoid moderation.) It featured a CNN clip of Parker speaking the day after the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 30, 2024 in a post \"Samsung drops out of $1 billion advertising campaign with Olympics.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 2, 2024 This Instagram post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.) In a story published the day after the verdict was issued in Jones’ defamation case, The Washington Post recalled that moment aired on CNN, when Parker became the first parent of a child killed in the shooting \"to voice his grief in public\" — an \"anguished statement, full of love for Emilie\" that was broadcast across the country. \"Jones, too, was watching,\" the Post reported. \"He seized upon something Parker did — a brief laugh at a remark by his father as he faced an unexpectedly large throng of journalists — to advance the falsehood that the shooting was staged.\" But Parker laughed, not because he was an actor getting to character, but because he was nervous and didn’t know how to start talking to reporters, the Post said. Parker’s dad was standing nearby and encouraged him, using a childhood nickname that prompted the laugh. _RELATED VIDEO_ Parker isn’t the only family member of shooting victims who has been wrongly accused of being an actor in a plot to disarm gun owners. False flag conspiracy theories have followed every mass shooting in recent memory. But they’re wrong, and so is this. We rate claims that Robbie Parker is an actor Pants on Fire. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Instagram post, Oct. 16, 2022 The Associated Press, Alex Jones ordered to pay $965 million for Sandy Hook lies, Oct. 12, 2022 The Washington Post, After years of being targeted by Alex Jones, a Sandy Hook father finds his voice, Oct. 13, 2022 PolitiFact, Why do some people think mass shootings are staged every time?, Aug. 8, 2019 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Ciara O\'Rourke slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 16, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Country Music Television (CMT) has announced a permanent boycott of Taylor Swift.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 11, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Disney World officially moving to Nashville.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 16, 2024 in Threads post: Images show Sean Combs’ booking photos after Sept. 16 arrest. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 20, 2024 in a Threads post: “Oprah is a sex trafficker. She’s been caught and now has to be escorted around” by U.S. marshals ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Threads post: Says John Fetterman said he’s “voting for Trump.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 22, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift’s concert attendance drops after Harris endorsement: ‘No Fans, just empty seats and echoes.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 23, 2024 in an Instagram post: Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris “hammered.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on September 21, 2024 in an X post: Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris using a teleprompter. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on September 18, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows a toilet after “some Hezbollah operative blew up.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on September 21, 2024 in an Instagram post: “A staffer reveals that Kamala Harris doesn’t actually own a gun.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 23, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 17, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Chiefs\' Coach Andy Reid criticizes Taylor Swift: ‘You’re not a good role model.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 20, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 17, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Kansas City Chiefs CEO bans Taylor Swift from attending games, calling her the team’s ‘biggest distraction.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 20, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 13, 2024 in a Facebook post: Says Colin Kaepernick said he “will go to Russia if not properly respected in the United States.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 20, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 17, 2024 in a Threads post: Image shows “P Diddy with Kamala Harris.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 20, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 16, 2024 in an Instagram post: Taylor Swift “lost 17 million followers by endorsing Kamala.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 19, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 16, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Country Music Television (CMT) has announced a permanent boycott of Taylor Swift.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 11, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Disney World officially moving to Nashville.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 16, 2024 in Threads post: Images show Sean Combs’ booking photos after Sept. 16 arrest. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 20, 2024 in a Threads post: “Oprah is a sex trafficker. She’s been caught and now has to be escorted around” by U.S. marshals ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Threads post: Says John Fetterman said he’s “voting for Trump.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 22, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift’s concert attendance drops after Harris endorsement: ‘No Fans, just empty seats and echoes.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ### No, this Sandy Hook shooting victim’s father isn’t an actor * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 20, 2024 in a Threads post: “Oprah is a sex trafficker. She’s been caught and now has to be escorted around” by U.S. marshals ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Threads post: Says John Fetterman said he’s “voting for Trump.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 22, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift’s concert attendance drops after Harris endorsement: ‘No Fans, just empty seats and echoes.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Sheehy stated on September 10, 2024 in an op-ed: Jon Tester “supported slashing Social Security benefits” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • September 25, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 22, 2024 in a Threads post: Florida \"put Tom Walz instead of Tim Walz\" on its ballots. ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Jeff Cercone • September 25, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Walz stated on September 21, 2024 in in Bethlehem, Pa.: “Donald Trump added more to the national debt than any other president, ever.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • September 25, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Senate Leadership Fund stated on September 17, 2024 in a TV ad: “Two years ago, Bob Casey promised us his vote will reduce inflation. ... Casey’s vote for reckless spending” made inflation worse. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • September 25, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 23, 2024 in an Instagram post: Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris “hammered.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Threads post: Travis Kelce endorsed Kamala Harris. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 24, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 15, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: \"Profesores de la Universidad de Howard confirman: \'Kamala fue la peor estudiante de la historia\'\". ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Marta Campabadal Graus • September 24, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. 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A video shows an actor getting into character before his press interview less than 24 hours after the supposed killing of his 6yearold daughter