No suspect currently identified in recent shooting in Orpington, U.K.

Context

 On August 8, 2024, a post on X (formerly Twitter) quickly began to gain traction after it claimed that an immigrant was suspected of killing three children in Orpington, U.K.

 "🚨BREAKING

 A man shot and injured 3 children in Orpington, London. The children were taken to hospital. 

The suspect is believed to be an immigrant," the post says.

Within three hours, the post had over 1.2 million views and had been reposted over 3,700 times. It was posted by an account that has been spreading inflammatory, anti-immigrant content to over 400,700 followers. It has been identified as one of the "extremist influencer" accounts that has spread far-right anti-immigrant and Islamophobic misinformation about European countries.

Over the past week, a series of violent riots by far-right actors have broken out across the U.K. in response to false claims that the knife attack that claimed the lives of three girls in Southport was committed by a Muslim illegal immigrant – which Logically Facts debunked. We also debunked claims that the riots were triggered by a machete-wielding man and old photos that were reshared with claims they depicted the Southport attacker. 

But reports from reputable media organizations indicate that a man and two children were shot, and the Metropolitan Police has since confirmed that no suspect has been identified at this time. 

What we found

On Wednesday evening, August 7, police responded to reports in Orpington that a man had been shot. They arrived on the scene with the London Ambulance Service and treated an 18-year-old man with a gunshot wound. They found two additional victims, both 14 years old, who also required treatment for gunshot wounds. The two boys were subsequently taken to hospital. 

News reports indicate that while the police searched the area, they were unable to locate a suspect. The investigation is ongoing. We have not found any other reputable sources confirming that the suspect is believed to be an immigrant. 

London Metropolitan Police Media and Communications Officer Caitlin Sullivan told Logically Facts that no suspect has been arrested yet. 

"We have no identity for a suspect; detectives are currently investigating," she said. 

The verdict

A post gaining traction on social media claims that a man believed to be an immigrant shot three children in Orpington. But while three people, including two children, were shot in Orpington, the Met Police have confirmed that no suspect has been identified yet. We have therefore rated this post false.