An FBI statement said that about five minutes before the shooting Saturday it received multiple tips through its website and phone number about an anonymous post on social media that contained threats but “did not offer specific information about the post’s author or threat location.”
The FBI said its employees acted immediately to determine the author of the posts, but the shooting took place “before the suspect could be fully identified.”
“The FBI thanks the alert citizens who saw and reported the post,” the statement said.
After the shooting, which left one woman dead and three wounded, police arrested John Earnest, 19, who is also suspected of writing a lengthy manifesto with references to white supremacy and the recent shootings at places of worship in Pittsburgh and New Zealand.
On Sunday, Earnest was booked on one charge of murder and three charges of attempted murder.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.