False alarms and hoax reports: Americans are on edge after string of mass shootings

A loud bang, then people scattering in all directions.What many thought in the moment would be another tragedy in a sea of mass shootings in the USA turned out to be another false alarm.A motorcycle backfired, ringing out like the gunshots of an active shooter, and all was clear.After a weeklong string of mass shootings have shaken Americans, multiple false reports and hoaxes of active shooters have spread around the country, highlighting an acute fear many Americans feel in the wake of the incidents."This is a real phenomenon," said Arthur Evans, CEO of the American Psychological Association. The mall was evacuated, and police said "a few skirmishes" occurred, KSL-TV reported.A Walmart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was also the site of a scare after two men pulled weapons on each other Tuesday.About one death every other day: Including El Paso and Dayton, there have been 112 people killed in mass shootings this year.No shooting occurred Tuesday, based on a preliminary investigation, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said, but people ran when they heard pops they thought were shots.Cincinnati and Lansing, Michigan, had shootings in recent days that were first reported as active-shooter situations, but police later determined they were not.Social media posts falsely reporting active shooters in Lansing cropped up and spread to other cities in Michigan, including Detroit, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.In Cincinnati, Police Capt.