Portugal Colonial - Grieving family blames false US shooting accusations for death of NFL fan

So, when the 2024 Super Bowl champions' victory parade coincided with the one-year anniversary of his dad's death, Loudermill thought attending would be healing.

He donned a Chiefs-red sweatshirt, matching sweatpants and Jordan sneakers that his sister, Reba Paul, said were the only "flashy" thing about him.

By nightfall, images of Loudermill in that same sweatsuit were plastered across social media, with internet sleuths falsely accusing him of a shooting at the parade that killed one and injured 22 others.

Many posts, including one amplified by now-Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and state senator Rick Brattin, misidentified Loudermill as "Sahil Omar" -- a fictional "illegal immigrant" hoaxers have linked to multiple atrocities.

The misinformation sent the father of three into a year-long spiral of paranoia. He lost weight. He developed post-traumatic stress disorder. At the car wash where he worked, he saw customers compare him to photos online.

Eventually, Loudermill sought therapy, but he never made his third appointment in April. That morning, he was found unresponsive on his living-room floor. He was 49.

An autopsy report said Loudermill died accidentally from cocaine, synthetic marijuana and alcohol. It mentioned PTSD and depression and that he was drinking in excess the previous two days, but said he did not have a history of suicidal thoughts.

Loudermill's sisters, however, trace his passing to the lies that derailed his "simple" life.

"He would still be here today had it not been for that," said Paul, who is pursuing a legal case against Hoskins and Brattin. "It took away his peace."

- 'Living hell' -

Loudermill was alone at the rally when shots rang out. His brother Quincy and another sister, Stephanie Fairweather, left early.

The violence emerged from a dispute, authorities said. Two men and two juveniles were charged.

Amid the chaos, officers handcuffed Loudermill and sat him on a curb. Multiple news outlets, including AFP, took photos and videos as he was detained.

It emerged that he was only briefly held for moving "too slow" under police direction and was not connected to the shooting.

AFP swiftly updated its photo captions to reflect his release and within 24 hours published a fact-check debunking the misinformation about him that was spreading rapidly online.

In an X post sharing Loudermill's picture, US Congressman Tim Burchett announced that one of the shooters had been "identified as an illegal Alien."

Similar claims piled up. Threats followed.

"It was just like wildfire," LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, Loudermill's attorney, told AFP. "It was a huge injustice to Denton."

Suddenly fearing for his safety, Loudermill told his sister, "They really think I'm out here killing people, killing kids."

He tried to clear his name, telling one interviewer that life was "a living hell" and calling for remorse from the politicians.

Burchett deleted his post and clarified that the shooter was not an immigrant, but his correction failed to say Loudermill was not a suspect.

Neither Burchett, Hoskins nor Brattin -- who also deleted their posts -- responded to AFP's requests for comment.

Loudermill also turned to the courts, but the dragging process tormented him.

A lawsuit against Burchett collapsed over jurisdictional issues, while suits against Hoskins and Brattin remain ongoing in Missouri.

Last month, a judge denied requests by the state lawmakers to dismiss their cases. Paul said the family intends "to fight for our brother until our dying day."

George Washington University's Mary Anne Franks, a free speech and technology law expert, said social media has made full accountability elusive.

"What depresses me about these cases is that even if they're ultimately successful, the damage is really impossible to undo."

- 'Is everything OK?' -

In the months after the false accusations started, Loudermill's sisters agonized as their brother -- who once made friends everywhere -- grew scared of crowds.

"He was always worried about somebody looking at him," Fairweather said.

The day before he died, Loudermill texted his lawyer Saunders: "Is everything OK?"

It was their final correspondence.

"Imagine having the false accusations you're illegal, you're a terrorist, you shot children," Saunders said. "That's a lot."

The loss remains heavy on Loudermill's siblings. Fairweather took time off work due to depression. When they search the shooting online, the false claims about their brother still pop up.

H.Portela--PC