Several people watched San Diego attack live on video calls, recordings show
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- At least three people watched a livestream of the San Diego Islamic Center attack, where two teen gunmen killed three people before dying themselves; one viewer urged another to alert law enforcement, but it is unclear if authorities were notified in time.
- The shooters were on a Signal video call with a user named "Noelle" for about 20 minutes before and during the attack, while another user "Otto" watched and recorded the call via Discord, sharing the live video with others who urged Noelle to call the police.
- Evidence suggests some viewers may have been located outside California, possibly overseas, with one device showing an Albanian mobile carrier and time zone, and another set to the U.S. Eastern time zone.
- The attackers shared a hateful manifesto with antisemitic, anti-Muslim, misogynistic, and other extremist rhetoric, referencing the Christchurch mosque shooter and reflecting involvement in fringe online communities.
- Discord preserved and shared relevant information with law enforcement and condemned the violence, while experts emphasize the role of online platforms in enabling violent extremism and call for stronger measures to address such threats.