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(AUSTIN, Texas) — A manhunt is underway for a Texas woman wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a professional cyclist who authorities say was once romantically linked to the suspect’s boyfriend.

Austin police issued a homicide warrant on Tuesday for Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 35, in the killing of 25-year-old Anna Moriah Wilson, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Wilson was in Austin last week for a race when she was found bleeding and unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds at a friend’s home the night of May 11, police said. First responders performed life-saving measures, but she was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined the manner of death to be a homicide. Austin police said at the time that they had a person of interest in the incident and that the “shooting does not appear to be a random act.”

U.S. Marshals said they are currently seeking Armstrong, of Austin, who they said is a suspect in the fatal shooting.

“Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force are actively conducting a fugitive investigation and pursuing leads on the whereabouts of Armstrong,” the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement Friday.

According to the affidavit in the warrant for Armstrong’s arrest on a first-degree murder charge, Wilson was visiting Austin from San Francisco for a cycling race when her friend came home and found Wilson alone lying on the bathroom floor covered in blood. Armstrong’s 2012 Jeep Cherokee was captured on surveillance footage from a neighboring residence stopping outside the residence the night of the homicide, according to the affidavit.

Earlier that evening, Wilson had met with Colin Strickland, an Austin professional cyclist, to go swimming, the friend told police, the affidavit stated.

When interviewed by police on May 12, Strickland, 35, confirmed that he had gone swimming with Wilson, according to the affidavit. Strickland told police that he and Armstrong live together and have been dating for about three years, the affidavit stated. During a brief break in their relationship in October 2021, he had a “romantic relationship” with Wilson, before resuming dating Armstrong, according to the affidavit.

Since then, Strickland told police he has had to change Wilson’s name in his phone and delete text messages “to prevent Armstrong from finding them,” the affidavit stated. Text messages from the night Wilson was killed showed that Strickland lied to Armstrong about his whereabouts “to hide he was with Wilson throughout the evening,” the affidavit stated.

A friend of Wilson’s who wanted to remain anonymous told police that Wilson and Strickland had an “on-again, off-again” relationship, according to the affidavit. Another anonymous caller said Armstrong had discovered in January that Strickland and Wilson were having a romantic relationship, at which point Armstrong “became furious and was shaking in anger,” the affidavit stated. “Armstrong told the caller Armstrong was so angry Armstrong wanted to kill Wilson,” the affidavit stated.

When police interviewed Armstrong on May 12, she was “confronted with video evidence of her vehicle” but “she had no explanation as to why it was in the area and did not make any denials surrounding the statements,” the affidavit stated. After further questioning Armstrong requested to leave, according to the affidavit.

Armstrong has since deleted her social media accounts and “has not been seen or heard from since this time,” according to the affidavit. Strickland told police he last saw her on May 13, the affidavit stated.

Two firearms that Strickland told police he had bought for himself and Armstrong were recovered at his and Armstrong’s home in the wake of the shooting, according to the affidavit. Based on the shell casings found at the scene, the potential that one of the guns was involved in the homicide “is significant,” the affidavit stated.

In a statement to ABC News Austin affiliate KVUE, Strickland said he has “cooperated fully with investigators” and expressed “torture about my proximity to this horrible crime.”

He said he had a “brief romantic relationship” with Wilson from late October-early November 2021, and that shortly after he “reconciled and resumed” his relationship with Armstrong while keeping a “platonic and professional” relationship with Wilson.

Wilson’s death shocked the cycling community. The athlete had won several gravel and mountain bike races in the past two seasons and had recently quit her job to focus on racing, according to VeloNews, who interviewed Wilson days before she was set to compete in the 157-mile Gravel Locos in Hico, Texas on May 14.

Wilson, known as “Mo” to friends and family, is survived by her parents and brother. Her family said in a statement to ABC News that they are “devastated by the loss of our beautiful daughter and sister.”

“There are no words that can express the pain and suffering we are experiencing due to this senseless, tragic loss. Moriah was a talented, kind, and caring young woman,” her family said. “Her life was taken from her before she had the opportunity to achieve everything she dreamed of. Our family, and all those who loved her, will forever miss her.”

Her family also wished to clarify that at the time of her death, Wilson was not involved with anyone romantically.

Wilson’s family hopes to establish a foundation in her memory to “share Moriah’s life story and legacy to inspire and enrich the lives of others.”

“With her visibility and presence in the cycling world, she wanted to empower young women athletes, encourage people of all walks of life to find joy and meaning through sport and community, and inspire all to chase their dreams,” they said.

ABC News’ Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.

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(GOSHEN, Ind.) — Two people are dead and three injured after what appears to have been a targeted shooting at a home in northern Indiana, police said.

The incident occurred Saturday around 3:20 p.m., when an emergency call reported that five people had been “severely injured” in a shooting, the Goshen Police Department said on Facebook.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene, while a second man died after transported to a hospital in Goshen, police said.

Three additional shooting victims have been transported to area hospitals. Two women were airlifted to a trauma hospital in Fort Wayne, while a third woman was taken to a trauma hospital in South Bend, police said.

“Although the investigation is on-going, preliminary information indicates that the shooting was targeted, not gang related, and there does not appear to be any further threat of danger to the community at this time,” the Goshen Police Department said.

The Elkhart County Homicide Unit is leading the investigation into the shooting, police said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — New York City Police officers are searching for a gunman after a subway passenger was shot and killed in what investigators describe as an unprovoked attack.

The suspect was pacing back and forth in the last car of a Manhattan-bound Q train as it crossed over the Manhattan Bridge around 11:45 a.m. Sunday when he pulled out a gun and “without provocation” fired it at a 48-year-old passenger at close range, striking him in the chest, witnesses told investigators, NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey announced at a press conference.

When the train pulled into the Canal Street station — the first Manhattan stop on the Q line — the suspect fled, Corey said, describing him as dark-skinned with a beard and “heavy-set” and last seen wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and white sneakers. He is still at large.

Emergency responders attended to the victim at the scene, Corey said. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he later died. His identity has not yet been released.

No others were injured in the shooting, Corey said.

Preliminary information suggests there was no prior contact between the victim and suspect, Corey said.

Witnesses who may have photos or video of that altercation are asked to share them with investigators.

Sunday marks the second New York City subway shooting in recent months.

On April 12, 10 people on board the N train were shot as it approached the 36th Street station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood. The alleged gunman, Frank James, is being held without bail on charges of carrying out a terror attack against a mass transit system and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

Corey said Sunday that the NYPD is committed to protecting the city’s mass transit system and will continue to place officers at stations and aboard trains on patrol.

“We put a lot of additional officers down into the subway system,” he said. “We continue to do that to patrol this very extensive transit system that we have.”

ABC News’ Will McDuffie and Matt Foster contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Stop AAPI Hate has become a leading force in tracking and addressing the rise in anti-Asian attacks in communities across the country.

The leaders behind this group are taking to the California legislature to turn this community-driven effort into legislation with its No Place for Hate policy initiative.

Unlike other legislative proposals, the group and legislators they’re working with are not focusing on new criminal laws, but rather public health and research initiatives. The idea is to work on community building and other initiatives rather than putting more people in jail.

“Anti-Asian racism exists — it’s systemic, and it’s pervasive, and it’s sinister,” said Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate. “Members of our communities don’t feel free to walk on the sidewalks, to take public transit, to go grocery shopping.”

Between March 2020 and December 31, 2021, Stop AAPI Hate has recorded more than 10,000 reports of hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) persons across the U.S. This is markedly higher than the number of reported hate crimes, which advocates say are undercounted.

Several tragedies including a Dallas salon shooting that targeted three Korean women, and the mass shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-based Asian-owned or operated spas in 2021 have highlighted the growing, deadly nature behind anti-Asian hate.

This kind of hate has particularly impacted Asian American communities in California. In San Francisco, for example, anti-Asian hate crimes saw an astonishing 567% from 2020 to 2021, according to Mayor London Breed.

“One of the things that we believe in fundamentally is that we all deserve to feel safe and to move about freely without being targets of hate and harassment,” Choi said.

The No Place for Hate initiative includes three bills that target the kinds of places where these hate incidents are happening frequently: AB 2549 which declares street harassment a public health problem; SB 1161, aiming to protect the safety and welfare of public transit passengers; and AB 2448 to end harassment in businesses.

The Ending Street Harassment Bill, AB 2549, declares street harassment a public health issue, and will fund research and programs to prevent common forms of harassment.

“If you think about what it means for women and the AAPI community and others to be going down the street, there’s no recourse to be able to share that you’ve been verbally assaulted,” Assemblymember Mia Bonta told ABC News.

Bonta and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, who helped author the bill, say a public health approach allows for solutions to focus on education and building community, rather than putting more people into the criminal justice system.

“There have been many Asian American community organizations that have expressed concerns about focusing on criminal laws as tools to address the issue of hate crimes,” Muratsuchi told ABC News. “That’s why we’re taking this innovative public health approach.”

The Increasing Safety for Public Transit Riders Bill, SB 1161, will require transit agencies to gather data on ridership and rider safety. That data would then be used to implement solutions that could address the harassment and assaults that people have experienced while using public transit.

State Sen. Dave Min, the author of the bill, told ABC News that a lot of women from all backgrounds have been reporting that they feel unsafe or have been repeatedly harassed while using public transit.

“They’ve had to change their routes to avoid being stalked or harassed or followed, so this is a chronic problem,” Min said.

He said the legislation doesn’t direct transit officials to take any specific kind of action, but looks toward the collected data to propose the best solutions: “Should we have more security at certain places? Should there be training for transit operators on what to do in the event that someone reports harassment to them?”

The Expanding Civil Rights Protections at Businesses Bill, AB 2448, would direct businesses to develop and implement protections against discrimination and harassment for customers.

These bills are currently being reviewed and debated by their respective committees.

“It’s important for us to do more than just put out slogans and develop hashtags,” said Bonta. “It’s incredibly important for us to develop viable solutions that have the weight of impact and an opportunity to change people’s everyday experience.”

They say these bills don’t just solve the anti-AAPI hate issue, but reach further to offer solutions to the same issues many marginalized people from different backgrounds have also been experiencing.

Choi calls it “cross-solidarity, community-building work.”

“Everyone including women of color, people with disabilities, the young, the elderly, the LGBTQI community — we want to be able to walk to the park, to take public transit, shop, care for our families, and live our lives without being harassed and so our bills really speak to that,” Choi said.

The organization hopes it will set an example for states across the country that are grappling with anti-Asian hate, though several cities have begun to make strides in these efforts.

“At the end of the day, what we what we firmly believe is that it’s not one piece of legislation, it’s not one intervention — we need to take a whole of society approach to addressing all these forms of harm,” Choi said.

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(GOSHEN, Ind.) — “Multiple people” were injured in a shooting in northern Indiana Saturday, police said.

The victims were transported to area hospitals and their conditions are unknown at this time, the Goshen Police Department said on Facebook.

“Based off of information that officers have obtained, it is not believed there is any danger to the public related to this incident,” the department said.

The shooting occurred on the south side of Goshen Saturday afternoon, police said. No additional information was provided.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(GAYLORD, Mich.) — Two people are dead, multiple people were injured and “heavy damage” reported after a destructive tornado tore through northern Michigan Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The National Weather Service said the tornado has been given a preliminary rating of EF-3. Peak winds were estimated to be up to 140 mph.

6,500 homes are without power in Gaylord with some also without power in the surrounding area, Lt. Derrick Carroll, PIO with the Michigan State Police, said at a press conference Saturday.

“The area is not safe we are in the process of stabilizing it,” Carroll said, urging those affected to stay at home and shelter in place.

In addition to the two dead, 44 are injured and one person is still unaccounted for after a tornado hit the Gaylord, Michigan area. The two people who died were in their 70s and both lived in a mobile home park, Carroll said.

The tornado touched down on Friday at 3:48 p.m., near Nottingham Forest, a mobile home park, and continued along the M-32 Highway through the Gaylord business area, causing “extensive damage” to other commercial and residential structures in the tornado’s path, Carroll said.

Otsego County Fire Chief Chris Martin added that about 95% of the mobile home park has been destroyed, with “trailers picked up and turned over on top of each other.”

The tornado warning code red alert sent out gave people in the Gaylord area about 10 minutes to prepare, John Boris, Science and Operations Officer with the National Weather Service, said.

Data collected by the NWS suggests that the tornado was on the ground for 26 minutes, with the storm moving at about 55 mph. It moved east through Gaylord before hading north, according to Boris.

As of Friday, the injured were being treated at four separate hospitals. 23 patients have been admitted at Otsego Memorial Hospital, 12 patients at Grayling Hospital, eight patients at McLaren Northern Michigan Petoskey, and one patient Munson Medical Center Traverse City.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a declaration of emergency for Otsego County on Friday night.

“Michiganders are tough. We are resilient. We will do what it takes to rebuild. There’s no challenge we can’t get through together,” she said on Twitter.

Michigan State Police for the Seventh District confirmed that a tornado touched down in Otsego County.

“Trees and power lines blocking roadways. Multiple homes and businesses damaged,” the agency said on Twitter. “Avoid the Gaylord area. Emergency crews are responding.”

Images from the scene showed leveled buildings, damaged roofs on businesses, downed trees and cars flipped over.

“My heart goes out to the families and small businesses impacted by the tornado and severe weather in Gaylord,” Whitmer said on Twitter. “To the entire Gaylord community — Michigan is with you. We will do what it takes to rebuild.”

William Gretsky and Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.

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(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) — Nine people were shot, including one fatally, during a party in Southern California late Friday night, police said.

Police officers responded to a shooting at a business in the city of Highland, east of Los Angeles, shortly before midnight Friday, the San Bernardino Police Department said.

“Upon arrival, officers encountered a large crowd and learned that they were in the area attending a party,” Sgt. Equino Thomas, a department spokesperson, said in a statement.

One shooting victim was found outside the business, which was located in a shopping center, and pronounced dead at the scene, Thomas said. No further information on the victim was released.

Eight additional shooting victims have since been confirmed, Thomas said. Most of the victims brought themselves to local hospitals and were treated for what appear to be non-life-threatening injuries.

The motive and suspect in the shooting are under investigation, police said.

“Based on the preliminary investigation, it does not appear that the victims were intentionally targeted and that this may have stemmed from a conflict in a crowded room that spilled out into the parking lot of the business,” Thomas said.

Footage from the scene overnight showed a large police presence outside the strip mall and at a gas station across the street.

A witness told ABC Los Angeles station KABC that shots were also fired from a car at the gas station.

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(NEW YORK) — Just one week ago, an 18-year-old suspect allegedly gunned down 10 Black people at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York, in what authorities called a “racially motivated hate crime.”

A day later, a shooting at a Southern California church would leave one person dead, five others injured. The suspect, a 68-year-old man, was motivated by the political tension between China and Taiwan, the Orange County Sheriff’s office said this week.

In both cases, the FBI is said to be investigating the shootings for possible hate crimes.

But aside from those high-profile deadly shootings, a recent spate of violence has occurred at gatherings typically known to bring joy and celebration to children and parents alike — graduations.

There have been at least three shootings this week at graduation ceremonies across multiple states, none appearing to be at random.

An 18-year-old identified as Hasani Brewer was killed and a 17-year-old injured in a shooting Wednesday night as a crowd was leaving a Riverdale high school graduation ceremony being hosted on the Middle Tennessee State University campus.

Murfreesboro Police said the shooting stemmed from an altercation between Brewer and the teen near the on-campus arena when another 17-year-old opened fire. The alleged teen shooter was taken into custody Thursday and arraigned in juvenile court on a first-degree murder charge, according to police.

In Louisiana, chaos ensued Thursday night when shots rang out as family and friends were leaving the University Center at Southeastern Louisiana University’s campus after a Hammond high school graduation ceremony.

Hammond Police said three bystanders were shot after an argument turned into gunfire and another person was injured attempting to flee the scene. All the injuries were considered to be non-life threatening, according to police. No students were believed to be involved or among the injured.

“The sad thing is that people bring guns to events like this when it should be a joyous moment for people that have spent the last twelve years of their life, come to a graduation and all of a sudden we end up in a situation like this,” Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said during a press conference.

“[I’m] in disbelief that something like this could be happening at such a joyous occasion for these, you know, there was 280-something kids graduating,” Penny Lapre told ABC affiliate WBRZ-TV. “It was mass chaos,” Lapre said.

20-year-old Trent Thomas was arrested in connection to the shooting and faces three counts of attempted second-degree murder, possession of a firearm in a gun-free campus, and obstruction of justice, according to Southeastern Louisiana University Police Chief Michael Beckner.

And in Michigan, two people were injured Thursday when gunfire erupted in the parking lot of a high school campus hosting a graduation ceremony on its football field with 400 people in attendance.

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office said a gun battle between two vehicles occurred in the parking lot following the end of a graduation for Crossroads Alternative High School students at East Kentwood High School. A 16-year-old male from Texas suffered a wrist wound and has since been released from the hospital. The vehicles involved had fled the parking lot. A 40-year-old Grand Rapids woman suffered wrist and abdomen injuries and remained hospitalized in critical, but stable condition, authorities said. The vehicles involved had fled the parking lot.

On Friday, the sheriff’s office said they had located the two vehicles involved, a white Hyundai sedan and a white Mercedes-Benz sedan. The Hyundai was found abandoned and still running behind a business in Grand Rapids. The car had bullet holes in it and was reported stolen from the city of Kentwood.

Later that day, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office announced they had detained five people in connection with the shooting following a traffic stop in Livonia, Michigan.

“It is believed that two of the individuals detained were involved with the shooting incident at East Kentwood. There is possibly a third individual as well, but we are awaiting further investigation by detectives on scene,” a statement said. Multiple guns were recovered.

The series of shootings at graduations adds to an ongoing alarming trend of gun violence in the United States. According to the Gun Violence Archive, 1,247 teens ages 12 to 17 were killed in 2021, and 3,381 others were injured.

So far this year there have been 487 teens killed in that same age group and 1,248 injured.

More broadly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data this month showing gun homicides increased 35% across the country during the first year of the pandemic to the highest level in 25 years.

According to the new CDC study, firearm homicides increased 40% for those ages 10 to 24 in 2020 — the highest increases for people of color, notably Black males.

The rise in violence could be attributed to the social and economic pressures stemming from the pandemic that reinforced “longstanding” inequities between communities, the study noted.

“Longstanding systemic inequities and structural racism have resulted in limited economic, housing, and educational opportunities associated with inequities in risk for violence,” the authors of the study wrote, “the COVID-19 pandemic might have exacerbated existing social and economic stressors.”

The new CDC data confirms trends identified by ABC News as it studied data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive over the past year.

Back in Tennessee, a family and community is in mourning over the loss of their loved one.

“Always had a smile, always ready to joke, he was a prankster. He just had this light,” said Natalie Gant speaking at a vigil Thursday evening for her son, Hasani Brewer, also known as Sunny Gant, WKRN reported.

ABC News’ Med Unit contributor Eli Cahan contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Temperatures are expected to soar into the mid- and upper-90s across much of the Northeast on Saturday and into Sunday — about 20 degrees higher than is typical for this time of year for some of the region.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declared a heat emergency for Saturday and Sunday due to the unseasonably high temperatures and humid weather forecasted.

With temperatures expected to be in the low- to mid-90s, the city has opened cooling centers and splash pads at parks and playgrounds ahead of schedule.

“We’re working quickly to make sure all of our Boston residents and families are protected during this weekend’s extremely hot weather,” Wu said in a statement. “As we head into summer, it is clear that earlier, more frequent extreme heat days from a changing climate are a risk to our health and communities.”

In New York City, over 600 spray showers have been activated across the city in anticipation of the high temperatures, with a heat advisory issued through 8 p.m. Saturday.

This year’s Preakness Stakes will be the hottest in recent memory, with forecasted high temperatures in the mid-90s and heat indices approaching 100 in Baltimore on Saturday. The temperature is usually in the mid-70s this time of year.

“The abrupt beginning of hot temperatures early in the season after a relatively cool spring brings an increased risk of heat illnesses unless proper precautions are taken for those working or recreating outdoors,” the National Weather Service said in a statement for the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., region. “Since many outdoor events are planned this weekend in the region, be aware of the heat, and take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside this weekend.”

Racetrack officials will track the temperature, humidity and wind speed to determine whether to delay or cancel the horserace, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The Northeast will see some relief after a cold front comes through on Sunday, bringing temperatures back to more seasonable levels by Monday.

ABC News’ Daniel Amarante contributed to this report.

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(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — In the early months of the pandemic, security experts sounded the alarm over the possible escalation of online radicalization and terrorist violence as people isolated and spent more time on social media.

An internal Department of Homeland Security memo in early 2020 cautioned that the new pandemic lifestyle could “increase the vulnerability of some citizens to mobilize to violence.” The U.N. warned in a November 2020 report of cases involving “malicious” use of social media for fomenting extremist beliefs.

The suspect behind an attack on Saturday at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York – which left 10 dead, all of whom were Black, and three others wounded – appears to have posted writing that epitomizes these fears. In a 180-page document, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, allegedly shared a litany of bigoted views and conspiracy theories. One theory he espoused — “replacement theory” — argues that Democrats are trying to bring about a demographic shift to consolidate power.

Gendron has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges.

The tragedy highlights the threat posed by online radicalization, several experts told ABC, pointing to a toxic blend of circumstances brought about by the pandemic: widespread social isolation, heightened social media use and the spread of conspiracy theories. Further, the prevalence of extremism on the internet has exposed the shortcomings of social media platforms to police content, experts said.

The last two calendar years are the highest on record for domestic terror plots and attacks going back to at least 1994, the first year for which the Center for Strategic and International Studies collected such data, the Washington D.C.-based think tank said in a recent report.

The notion of radicalization can prove difficult to pin down because definitions vary, Deana Rohlinger, a professor at Florida State University who studies media and social movements, told ABC News. She defined the term as a process of interacting with individuals, groups, or pieces of content that engender pure or extremist views.

She defines extremist views as those which are “fundamentally opposed to the status quo.” In the U.S., that would include opposition to the democratic welfare state or tolerance of diverse ideas, she said. A key component of the definition includes a consideration of or willingness to commit violence in advancing one’s viewpoint, she added.

Ciaran O’Connor, an analyst at the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue who tracks internet disinformation and extremism, told ABC News that the alleged shooter “exhibits so many of the signs of people who have become engaged in conspiracies and extremist spaces over the last two years,” citing reports of what the alleged shooter said in a 180-page document.

O’Connor and Rohlinger cited evidence that suggests an uptick in online radicalization during the pandemic. However, one expert questioned whether a rise in online radicalization has taken place.

Megan Squire, a professor of computer science at Elon University who focuses on far-right extremism online, said that research on the trend is “mixed,” noting her own work, which found a decline in traffic to some far-right websites during the pandemic that belies the supposed rise in such content elsewhere online.

The American Civil Liberties Union, a staunch defender of free speech, criticizes the term “radicalization,” arguing that the theory that extremist beliefs lead to violence is “unscientific” and ends up limiting constitutionally protected views.

As coronavirus cases and deaths mounted in the early days of the pandemic, the scientific community could not definitively explain the origins of the disease or how to stop its spread.

“It was a very complex period with no clear answer, no clear solutions,” O’Connor said. “A lot of extremists were very successful offering solutions and someone to blame — they found a lot of people.”

Marooned indoors, millions sought information and community on social media, Rohlinger said.

“Everyone’s world became even smaller and less connected in the ways humans crave,” she said.

“We don’t always find the best communities in which to get engaged,” she added.

Misinformation and conspiracy theories emerged in posts across major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Membership in Facebook groups devoted to the conspiracy theory QAnon increased by 120% in March 2020, and engagement rates in such groups increased by 91% that month, a study from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found.

Facebook announced a ban on QAnon pages in October 2020. The company pointed ABC News to a blog post that said, as of September 2021, the company had removed about 3,900 pages, 11,300 groups, 640 events, 50,300 Facebook profiles and 32,500 Instagram accounts for violating its policy against QAnon.

The company also removed about 4,000 Pages, 20,600 groups, 190 events, 54,900 Facebook profiles and 8,300 Instagram accounts related to militarized social movements, the blog post said.

Extremist views also circulated on lesser-known sites like 4chan, an anonymous imageboard site known for the appearance of hateful content. Gendron wrote that he visited 4chan during the pandemic. 4chan did not respond to a request for comment.

Discord, another social media site used by the alleged shooter in Buffalo, grew in popularity during the pandemic. The site is popular with teenagers and has been accused of spreading conspiracy theories.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families. Hate and violence have no place on Discord. We are doing everything we can to assist law enforcement in the investigation,” a spokesperson for Discord told ABC News.

A study by researchers at Northwestern University, released in September 2020, found that individuals who received their news from social media were more likely to believe in misinformation about coronavirus conspiracies and risk factors.

Squire challenged the default acceptance of the claim made by Gendron that exposure to extremist ideas on 4chan radicalized him. “Because that was a prevailing narrative in the media [at the time], it may be he was just repeating that or following that logic placed in front of him,” she said.

Online radicalization amid the pandemic has also drawn strength from the “mainstreaming” of extremist views among prominent politicians and public figures, Rohlinger told ABC News.

When questioned by reporters Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to directly denounce replacement theory, which several members of his party have been accused of promoting.

Asked if the eventual receding of the pandemic could lessen the threat of online radicalization, O’Connor said a reduction of time spent on the internet could have a “positive impact” on limiting exposure to extremist ideas.

“A lot of seeds may have been planted for people,” he cautioned. “It’s hard to dissuade people once they’ve been exposed.”

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