OLATHE, Kan. — It only takes seconds for misinformation to be posted and shared on social media.
The consequences of that were seen in real time following the shooting at the Chiefs Super Bowl rally last year.
Denton Loudermill Jr. was falsely labeled as the shooter.
In all the chaos of that day, which ended with a woman killed and more than 20 people hurt, many people shared footage of Loudermill detained at the rally.
The footage was not aired by KSHB 41, however, social media users spread his image around out of context.
Loudermill was detained at the celebration but police let him go for reasons unrelated to the shooting.
Tweets from government officials, some of which were deleted, amplified the misinformation and received millions of views.
Loudermill ultimately sued Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett and Missouri Sens. Rick Brattin, Denny Hoskins and Nick Schroer.
"If they would've did their background checks and everything and their due diligence, I wouldn’t have had my face plastered everywhere," Loudermill said.
For Scripps News Literacy Week, he's checking in with KSHB 41 to talk about how important it is for people to fact check before sharing information online.
"I think they should make sure they know what they are talking about before they push send on the computer," he said.
When it happened nearly a year ago, he remembers his character being attacked.
Loudermill was labeled as the shooter and called an "illegal alien."
He said people still stop him to ask about his involvement and whether he'd attend another rally.
"I’m still hearing things about what happened from last year and trying to get over what’s being said and wish things that’s on the computer weren’t on the computer," he said.
Even though people can see information online in seconds, Loudermill agrees, it's worth the extra time to make sure it's true.
"What people put on the computer could tear someone's life a part, but hopefully everything will be alright," he said.
Loudermill's attorneys are still trying to hold government officials accountable who shared misinformation on social media.
A federal judge dismissed all of those lawsuits but Loudermill Jr.'s attorneys refiled against the three Missouri lawmakers.
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KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.