The teen who shot up an Indianapolis FedEx facility and killed eight people was reportedly part of a bizarre Internet subculture obsessed with “My Little Pony.”
Posts on Brandon Hole’s since-taken-down Facebook page appear to indicate he was a member of the “Bronies” community — a group of mostly adult men who are extreme fans of the kiddie toys and animated television show, the Wall Street Journal reported.
INDIANAPOLIS FEDEX FACILITY SHOOTING LEAVES 8 DEAD, GUNMAN ID’D
Some members are sexually attracted to the characters, while the group also has allegedly displayed far-right tendencies.
“I hope that I can be with Applejack in the afterlife, my life has no meaning without her,” Hole wrote on his Facebook page at 10:19 p.m. Thursday, less than an hour before his rampage began, the outlet reported.
The post included a photo of Applejack, a blond pony that is a main character on the show.
The name Brony is a mashup between “bro” and “pony” — and the group has a history of extremist tendencies, the outlet said, citing an internal Facebook memo they reviewed that detailed the post.
“Brony online culture has displayed elements of far-right and white nationalist extremism,” the memo stated.
Facebook stopped short of saying Hole’s pony-love had anything to do with the shooting, writing in the memo there was no clear evidence it motivated the massacre.
Hole, a former employee of FedEx, opened fire in the facility before turning the gun on himself.
His motives remain unclear.
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