Busted: Miami Herald catches Sen. Bill Nelson crying wolf about 'assault weapons'

Brett T. | 7:55 PM on April 09, 2018

On Sunday night, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, one of the stars of CNN’s town hall on the Parkland shooting, tweeted that several people had been killed in Liberty City, and assault weapons were likely involved.

Just got off the phone with State Rep. Kionne McGhee. Several people dead in Liberty City. Apparently assault weapons used.

— Senator Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) April 9, 2018

#GunReformNow #BanAssaultWeapons https://t.co/9r5063uQh6

— Richard Glass (@ToSayBoldly) April 9, 2018

We need #GunReformNow! https://t.co/hyEdjjDBLZ

— Kimberly (@KimmyLou7) April 9, 2018

The @nra is a domestic terrorist support organization for pushing for assault rifles and semi-auto rifles of all kinds on our streets. https://t.co/Ivna5dugGn

— Utley Creampitcher (DIGITALLY REMASTERED) (@PickleCatShow) April 9, 2018

Hold up a second …

This is not accurate. https://t.co/Oj4LlE52Qy

— David Neal (@DavidJNeal) April 9, 2018

Nelson had just gotten off the phone, you see, and didn’t have time to confirm any of the information. The Miami-Herald did, though, and reported Monday that, according to police, “handguns, not assault-style weapons, were used in the shooting.”

“They were just hanging out, a bunch of kids,” Miami Police Cmdr. Keandra Simmons told the paper. “We have no idea what the basis was behind this.”

.@SenBillNelson said assault-style weapons were used in a Liberty City shooting the night before @FLGovScott (who doesn't support an assault weapons ban) announced he would run for Nelson's seat. Police said Monday no assault weapons were used. https://t.co/LgVDMQTA5L

— Alex Daugherty (@alextdaugherty) April 9, 2018

Nelson’s tweet certainly did make it sound like another mass shooting with an AR-15 style rifle, though, didn’t it?

Sen. Bill Nelson said "apparently" assault weapons were used in a shooting in Liberty City. They weren't https://t.co/FAzIQraQfQ pic.twitter.com/OhknbMlWBq

— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) April 9, 2018

Florida U.S. Senator Bill Nelson said "assault weapons were used" in Liberty City shooting. He was wrong. https://t.co/xSvsRfKpoo

— Langston Taylor (@langstonitaylor) April 9, 2018

Bill Nelson keeps doing this. This information is false, as the Miami-Herald confirms. Nelson also said after Parkland that the shooter had been wearing a gas mask and used smoke grenades. That was false, too. https://t.co/jDaYdruJE5

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) April 9, 2018

Link to Miami Herald story: https://t.co/ergu87WR7P

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) April 9, 2018

The Miami Herald reports that police still haven’t determined a motive for the shooting. A 17-year-old and an 18-year-old were killed as they sat on the front lawn of an apartment complex Sunday night. That’s tragic, but it’s also two dead, not “several” — that information was bogus too.