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Steven Grove has learned a thing or two about social media. A gunshop owner in Springfield, Missouri, Grove was thrust into the limelight last week when social media accounts falsely claimed that the ICE agent involved in the fatal shooting of Minneapolis woman Renee Good was named “Steve Grove.”
In a phone interview with NewsGuard, Grove described how the false accusations unfolded in real time, beginning with what he initially believed was some kind of scam aimed at getting him to share personal information. “People were messaging like, ‘You’re the guy that shot the lady in Minnesota.’ ‘I hope you rot in hell.’ ‘You’re a murderer,’” he said.
Grove said the personal attacks escalated the day after the shooting, even after the agent was correctly identified as Jonathan Ross, when Grove discovered that his personal Facebook account had been permanently disabled. Soon after that, his business began receiving harassing phone calls. It was all “pretty crazy,” he said. “Just phone calls, people hanging up or screaming murderer on the phone and then hanging up.”
Searching his own name online, Grove said he found dozens...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Support us by becoming a premium member or sharin...