USC umbrella misidentification (Aug. 24, 2025)
On August 24, 2025, during a swatting hoax at the University of South Carolina, Rep. Mace posted a photo to her 500,000 followers on X identifying a student carrying an umbrella as the 'alleged school shooter.' The post was deleted after it was determined to be a swatting hoax.
On August 24, 2025, the University of South Carolina issued an active-shooter alert for the Thomas Cooper Library after receiving calls reporting a gunman, calls that USC officials subsequently determined were part of a swatting hoax. Students fled the campus and area.
At 7:08 p.m., Rep. Mace posted to her X account (approximately 500,000 followers) identifying a student carrying an umbrella as the suspected gunman. Her post, which she later deleted, read: "Here is the alleged school shooter at USC - BOLO: white male, black shorts, grey tshirt, backpack." The post included a photo of the student, who was carrying an umbrella, not a weapon.
USC officials later confirmed they had spoken with the student in the photograph and that he was not connected to the incident. The university announced August 25 that the calls were a swatting hoax and that no shooter had been present.
Mace's post was criticized for circulating unverified information and identifying a private citizen by appearance during a chaotic active-shooter alert. Republican gubernatorial opponent Alan Wilson's deputy campaign manager wrote on social media that Mace "doxxed an innocent college student during an active shooting hoax, unnecessarily putting the student in harm's way." Conservative commentator Matt Walsh mocked the post on X. Mace did not apologize; after deleting the post, she wrote that "now would be an appropriate time to talk about hardened security at schools."
No charges were filed and no formal inquiry was publicly announced. Mace was running for South Carolina governor at the time.
Source. Post and Courier (Aug. 2025) | HuffPost | KOMO News / AG criticizes Mace | Yahoo News / USC officials spoke with student