A comment in a discussion on the Reddit platform was what led the police and FBI investigators to identify the person who opened fire at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said that this comment on "Reddit" enabled the police to trace the rented car, which helped them identify the shooter.
The Reddit platform is considered a useful source of information to the extent that people often add the suffix "site:reddit.com" to their search terms on Google when looking for tutorials, according to local media.
However, even by "Reddit" standards, it is remarkable that a single comment in a series of posts about the shooting at Brown University led to the identification of the perpetrator, whose attack resulted in the death of two students.
The matter began when a user of "Reddit" posted a copy of an FBI flyer requesting information in the "r/providence" forum.
Another user, known only as "John," replied, saying: "I'm totally serious. The police should check a gray Nissan car with Florida license plates, it might be rented. That was his car. It was parked in front of the little cottage behind the Rhode Island Historical Society on the side of Cook Street."
He added: "I knew it because he used his key to open it, then approached it, and then something made him retreat. When he moved away, he locked it again. I found that odd, so when he walked around the building, I approached the car, and there I saw Florida plates. The car was parked in the area between the gate of the Rhode Island Historical Society and the corner of Cook and George Streets."
Afterwards, a third person contacted the FBI's tipline to point to the site of the incident, then Providence Police and Rhode Island State Police interrogated John. The Rhode Island Attorney General confirmed that this led to the identification of the shooter.
The Attorney General said at a press conference: "That person led us to the car, and from there to the name, and from there to the photos of the person who rented the car, which matched the clothing of the shooter here in Providence, and matched the bag."
FBI agent Ted Dox said that John might be eligible for the $50,000 reward offered by the agency.
