Infowars host and noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones had an over-the-top meltdown and refused to take responsibility for his role in spreading conspiracy theories about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which claimed the lives of 20 students between the ages of six and seven as well as six staff members.
But things took a strange turn after Jones claimed he had personally killed the children.
Jones made the claim during a sit-down interview with online journalist Andrew Callaghan—from YouTube's Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan—saying he "went in that school, I pulled a gun out, and I shot every one of them myself."
You can hear Jones' remarks in the video below.
\u201c\u201cI killed the children.\u201d Alex Jones completely implodes during interview, then walks off the set. And I guarantee you 100% it\u2019s all an act.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1662483785
When asked if he felt personally responsible for the shooting, Jones said:
"Yes, I killed the children."
"No. I went in that school, I pulled a gun out, and I shot every one of them myself. I am guilty, it’s true."
"Do I feel responsible that someone that played shoot-em-up video games, on a bunch of drugs, went and killed a bunch of kids and then the internet questioned it, and I covered that?"
"I killed the kids."
When Callaghan interjected and shot down Jones' assertion he personally killed the children, Jones doubled down, saying:
"No I did! I killed them, I killed them. I've already admitted it, I killed them, I'm the bad guy, I'm the devil."
Footage of the interview went viral and Jones was swiftly criticized.
\u201cPoor Alex.He has been SO put upon for merely stirring up hostility toward grieving parents & simply exercising his first Amendment rights to lie & spread BS. I\u2019m sure the founding fathers & Jesus would embrace his shock jock profile taunting ppl w/conspiracy & hate, if they could\u201d— Jeff Tuttle (@Jeff Tuttle) 1662584680
\u201cIs there anybody out there who actually thinks this ISN'T completely performative? \n\nPro Tip: The dramatic music behind all his ranting and raving nonsense is a giveaway.\u201d— One Crusty Bastard (@One Crusty Bastard) 1662571919
\u201cThis is who the @GOP worship\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u201d— Viola Allen (@Viola Allen) 1662572178
\u201cAlex Jones is all bad acting from a bad human.\u201d— STOP THE LEE CO. TENN TAKEOVER \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f (@STOP THE LEE CO. TENN TAKEOVER \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f) 1662572852
\u201cAlex Jones should be in an Institution, not on anyone's Program\u201d— Pamela Dubsky #BoycottNRA (@Pamela Dubsky #BoycottNRA) 1662573974
\u201cAlex Jones is a horrible human being! He\u2019s terrorized these grieving families for years! Just to make money! SICKAF\u201d— Just Me (@Just Me) 1662574860
\u201cThe more he talks, the greater the chance he'll find himself in another lawsuit....\u201d— Hatetwiter (@Hatetwiter) 1662571215
\u201cI love watching him melt down... act or not. Let's all gather with marshmallows and sticks to make s'mores as each of these grifters melt down. \n\nI won't buy a ticket tho, Alex.\u201d— Dalton Parsons (@Dalton Parsons) 1662570673
A jury decided last month Jones should pay $45 million in damages to Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, whose six-year-old son Jesse Lewis was killed in the mass shooting. For years, Jones suggested the shooting could have been a false flag "staged event" and the victims and families were just "crisis actors."
In perhaps the trial's most striking moment, Lewis took the witness stand and declared "my son existed," a repudiation of a man who for years elevated conspiracy theories claiming the shooting never happened.
Lewis looked Jones right in the eye as she took him to task for repeatedly lying about the shooting on his program, saying even though she knows he believed her, "you're going to leave this court house and you're going to say it again on your show."
The Sandy Hook shooting—the deadliest mass shooting at a school in United States history—attracted a seemingly endless number of conspiracy theories about the event.
In April 2018, Jones was sued for defamation by three parents whose children were killed in the shooting. Jones said the shooting was "completely fake" and a "giant hoax" perpetrated by opponents of the Second Amendment.
Last year, Jones was ordered to pay damages and criticized by a judge for failing to hand over documents requested by the courts. In April 2022, three companies affiliated with Jones filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, according to court documents.
The move was widely perceived as a gambit to avoid paying damages in relation to defamation lawsuits from families of victims of the shooting.
Jones ultimately withdrew his bankruptcy filing.
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