Fact check: Video shows man shooting guns in U.S., not Ontario gang member

Posts shared to social media this past week claimed to show video of a Bishnoi gang member firing illegal weapons in Caledon, Ont., as seen in this handout image. The claims are false, as the original video was posted by a content creator who appears to be based in California. The Ontario Provincial Police say the video originated from the United States. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - X, @DwightSinghS (Mandatory Credit)

Posts shared to social media in the past week claimed to show video of a Bishnoi gang member firing guns in Caledon, Ont. The claims are false, as the original video was posted by a content creator who appears to be based in California. The Ontario Provincial Police say the video originated from the United States.

The claim

In a video shared to social media last week, a man in a black shirt and jeans fires a handgun multiple times into the air. At one point in the 12-second video, he holds what appears to be a semi-automatic rifle in his right hand.

“Another Bishnoi gang member caught shooting illegal firearms in Caledon Ontario,” an X user claimed in a post sharing the video on May 29 with around 12,000 likes.

The posts refer to the Bishnoi gang, which has ties to India and which the Canadian government lists as a terrorist entity.

The X account that made the claim frequently shares content related to the Bishnoi gang’s criminal activities and posts inflammatory content about South Asians.

In a post from May 31, the account shared another video of the same man and two others firing guns into a forested area.

“Bishnoi gang members shooting into the woods near Terra Cotta Conservation in Caledon where people hike and picnic,” the post reads. People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier shared the post, along with a call for “a moratorium on immigration and a department of deportation.”

Other social media users repeated the claim linking the individuals to Bishnoi in several posts to Instagram, as well as Facebook.

The facts

A Google reverse image search of a screenshot from the first video led to the original May 26 post by an Instagram creator who posts firearms-related content. The account appears to be run by a 22-year-old man whose Instagram lists his location as the United States.

On Instagram, he is seen posing next to a car with a California licence plate, in front of a U.S.-based business. He also shares celebratory messages about receiving permanent residency in the United States.

There is no evidence to suggest the Instagram creator is a member of the Bishnoi gang. He did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment.

On Monday, Ontario Provincial Police posted on social media to clarify the video was not filmed in Canada.

“Following a review by the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, investigators have confirmed the video did not take place in Caledon or anywhere in Ontario or Canada and has been determined to have originated in the United States,” the police service wrote on X.

Police in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario have said they are investigating extortion targeting affluent members of the South Asian community that they believe are linked to people associated with the gang. The RCMP says it believes the gang orchestrated violent crimes against Sikh activists on Canadian soil.

An April 2026 report from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada suggests the Bishnoi gang is one of several gangs using extortion to target the South Asian diaspora in Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2026.

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press