Professor James Tracy of Florida Atlantic University, who runs a blog claiming that the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary was an elaborate hoax, was fired Dec. 16 after the parents of one of the children killed wrote a scathing op-ed.
"The heartache of burying a child is a sorrow we would not wish upon anyone," Lenny and Veronique Pozner
wrote Dec. 10 in the Florida Sun Sentinel.
"Yet to our horror, we have found that there are some in this society who lack empathy for the suffering of others. Among them are the conspiracy theorists that deny our tragedy was real. They seek us out and accuse us of being government agents who are faking our grief and lying about our loss."
The Pozner's son, Noah, was the youngest child murdered during the 2012 massacre perpetrated by 20-year-old Adam Lanza. 20 children and 6 adult staff members were shot and killed during the rampage.
In an interview with NBC News, Tracy, 50, said that the Pozners had made a copyright infringement claim asking him to remove pictures their son from his blog. Tracy in return asked them in a certified letter for proof that their boy ever lived. That's when the Pozners decided to go public with the dispute.
Asked if he believes Noah died at Sandy Hook, Tracy told NBC, "I don't."
"Nobody died at Sandy Hook," he added. He then referred the reporter to a book of the same name.
In general, the theories Tracy showcases on his blog suggest that many mass shootings are hoaxes staged by the government in order to create a public outcry for more gun control.
The Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday that Tracy, a tenured professor at Florida Atlantic, "has 30 business days following notice of his dismissal Tuesday to file a grievance with the university contesting his termination, which would delay his last day of work and give him an opportunity to fight for his job, according to emails provided by to The Post by Tracy."
It is unclear if Tracy has filed a grievance or plans to file one, but filing one would place him on suspension without pay pending the final outcome.
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