15-year-old Black teen falsely identified as suspect by NYPD social media post leading to online harassment and academic decline
Summary
A 15-year-old Black teen, Camden Lee, was falsely identified by the NYPD as a suspect in a mass shooting at the West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn on Sept. 2, 2024, through a social media post on Sept. 19. The post included Lee’s image and falsely claimed he had "discharged a firearm," despite him being an innocent spectator who was not involved in the shooting. The NYPD privately met with Lee’s family and confirmed the error within a week of the post but did not issue a public correction, allowing the false accusation to circulate online and leading to death threats and online harassment for Lee. Months later, on Dec. 2024, the NYPD issued a public apology admitting the misstatement but Lee’s family described it as “superficial” and is considering legal action. The incident caused Lee to miss weeks of school, suffer academically, and live in fear, while his family relocated to protect him from potential gang retaliation.
Incident Details
Deliberate or negligent spread of false or misleading information with harmful real-world effects.
False or misleading content spread without intent to deceive.
Sources
1This incident is documented by a single source. Source count reflects coverage in our monitored feeds, not the totality of reporting, and we do not evaluate publication quality.