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r/london•
Merit

Shooting in Progress on Oxford Street? [Wednesday, 11:30am]

Hey r/London,

My Soho workplace just sent round an email at 11:30 telling us that Police have informed them that there is a shooting in progress on Oxford Street, possibly with multiple gunmen.

I don't wish to be alarmist, but in case this is true - please be careful if you are in the area.

If anyone knows anything about what's happening, please let us all know!

EDIT:

I just had another email through claiming that it was a Police training exercise. Anyone else?

EDIT2:

False report? Yes! Hoax? Probably! Police training exercise? Erm, okay, but wh.. Conspiracy/cover-up/mystery? Almost definitely.

Apologies for posting a false report, r/London. Couldn't sit by and not share though, just in case. Hope no one was too panicked or missed out on lunch because of this thread. :)

Edit3:

Some interesting coverage of the events.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/oxford-street-gunman-twitter-rumour-sparks-over-1000-panicky-tweets-50002275/

The UK Screen email was the same root source that lead me to start this thread. So I wonder what made someone from Screen claim that they had been contacted by police regarding the event...

As I said: Mystery.

Posted Jan 19, 2011, 11:38 AM UTC · edited

429
jonpv•

I'd rather wade through piles of dead bodies than groups of slow walking tourists who expand to fit the entire width of the pavement as the width of the pavement changes

12
MeritOP•

True. If Z-day suddenly occurred then it would practically be Oxford Street as normal again.

1
Kurisonu•

Looks like they are giving actual info now: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/8269460/Oxford-Street-panic-over-hoax-gunman-shooting-details-posted-on-Twitter.html

1
MeritOP•

I am confused...

That article suggests that the Scotland Yard mess-up happened at 'just after 11:30', however panicking tweets were in full flow by then, and, as you and I both know, UK Screen had sent their warning email out at 11:08.

Additionally, if information comes from a reputable source (BBCLondonNews or ScotlandYard) then people retweet it like crazy. But I didn't see a single retweet of anything about Scotland Yard or leaked police information. The panicky tweets themselves sounded like they were based on the UK Screen email (plenty of them used the phrase 'on the move' etc).

So I don't know... it just doesn't seem like the SY story fits perfectly. I would be somewhat inclined to believe that it is another red herring, like the 'modelling shoot tweet' around 11:25 that was initially blamed for the panic.

Of course the Metro, ever a stalwart of good journalism, printed a story blaming it on the modelling show tweet. I guess actually looking into the story would take time and effort, so... fair enough...

2
Kurisonu•

Sounds like a cover-up to me ;) Especially if they get the time to their own drills wrong. Then again it could just be bad reporting.

1
hazbaz•

Sky News Home Affairs Producer's twitter says it is a hoax

http://twitter.com/#!/Tom_Rayner/status/27691599215464448

6
Kurisonu•

Email now going around that it was a Police training exercise. "We have just been informed this was a police training exercise – so alarm over but we hope you agree better safe than sorry" ... advanced warning is good too, if I am being honest.

5
bustedagain- Walthamstow•

Interesting in knowing whether that was an official police email or a chain letter sent by someone who heard a rumour ...

1
spiraltri3e•

The police do not notify the public about things via email. Those things are always a chain.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
DJ_Esus•

This webcam shows nothing exciting happening on Oxford Street

3
stubbleCrouche En•

Cool, who else is in Soho? We could all go to the pub for lunch..

3
dnc•

covent garden for me

2
cheechwizard•

im in soho everyday

2
[deleted]•

wardour street!

1
guychase•

berwick street

1
greenRiverThriller•

Ya, word is out my way that it was a training excersise.

3
MeritOP•

Good stuff. Wasn't looking forward to the lunch vs. bullets decision.

2
twentyfive•

Some of the places to eat around there would kill you way more slowly and painfully than a bullet.

3
Kurisonu•

Same for myself and everyone else I know working in Soho. No one has any solid information though and nothing on the met police feeds...

1
MeritOP•

Twitter is a-buzz, so this isn't just us who have been told this. Has some mixed reports though.

1
megamuncher•

It's not the same Accesorise is it. I know it's crap, but just don't shop there

1
zen_tm•

Shots fired on Oxford street without warning? That's a "training exercise"?? riiiiiiiiight.......

1
MeritOP•

I've seen no reports or comments from people that confirm that anyone actually saw shots fired. It may be that the Police were testing how quickly word spread about a shooting, or something like that?

Or maybe it was a hoax and the reports that it was a 'training exercise' were also incorrect.

1
Kurisonu•

Looks like it was even more harmless : http://www.exquisitetweets.com/collection/abscond/152

3
MeritOP•

The email I received, which prompted me to create this thread originally, was a forwarded copy of an email that had been sent out at 11:08, before the initial tweet in that sequence had happened..

Perhaps she posted a similar tweet some time before 11am? Looks like the poor girl has deleted that tweet (and any others) from her page.

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zen_tm•

Could be - but at face value, if they were fired I have a hard time believing that anyone would propose that as a training exercise.

2
MeritOP•

Yeah - they would be heavily criticised for panicking people like that.

It would be, after all, terrorism.

1
borez/Richmond upon Thames•

Yeah guys, sorry bout that. Was trying to off a pigeon with my .22

0