CNN referred to New York shooter as 'possibly white.' Here's context

In the wake of a deadly shooting at a Manhattan office building on July 28, 2025, claims about CNN's coverage of the suspected gunman circulated on social media.

The social media posts criticized the news network for reportedly describing the gunman, who police later identified as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, as "possibly white," even though alleged photos of him circulating online depicted a person with a darker complexion. Other posts also claimed that CNN referred to the suspect as a "white male."

In an X post (archived) on July 29, 2025, conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones wrote: "'Possibly White' is the new 'mostly peaceful protest.' Both are inventions of the gaslighting factory known as CNN. CNN describes the shooter as 'male, POSSIBLY WHITE.'" Jones' post included images of a man with a darker complexion.

(@RealAlexJones on X)

CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller, did describe the man as "possibly white" during a broadcast on July 28, 2025. Anchor Erin Burnett reiterated that description shortly afterward during the broadcast. For this reason, we've rated the claim as correctly attributed.

However, social media users' claims about CNN's coverage lacked context. The network provided the description of the gunman early in its coverage before he was identified. CNN has not said where it obtained that description.

An archived recording shows CNN began covering the incident at 7:22 p.m. EDT during "Erin Burnett OutFront."

Burnett introduced Miller to discuss the developing situation at 7:25 p.m. At that time, Miller described what the shooter was wearing, the weapon he carried and how he entered the office building.

Later, at 7:31 p.m., Miller provided more details about the gunman and said he was "possibly white," an archived recording showed. At that time, he had not been identified and it was unclear whether he was on the loose.

"Was his face visible? Do they have any idea at this point who he is?" Burnett asked Miller during the broadcast. In response, Miller said, in part (emphasis ours):

They do not know who he is. They know he is a male, possibly white. He's wearing sunglasses. He appears to have a mustache. And that picture has been distributed to every police officer in New York City — particularly has been sent to the phones of the search teams inside that building.

It's unclear what picture Miller was referring to during the broadcast.

Burnett then reiterated the description of the gunman as "possibly white" shortly afterward, archived footage showed.

At 7:49 p.m., CNN correspondent Shimon Prokupecz reported that the gunman was believed to be dead.

CNN later aired the now widely circulated photo of the suspected gunman carrying a rifle several minutes after 8 p.m. during its broadcast of "Anderson Cooper 360."

Police had not publicly confirmed any information about the shooter's race or ethnicity at the time of this publication. The gunman took his own life at the Manhattan office tower, police said.

In sum, CNN did describe the gunman as "possibly white," but the network did so early in the unfolding coverage.