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'Justice for Chad': Viral video spawns online movement for man shot by Kyle Carruth

After Chad Read of Texas was shot dead, a TikTok video of his family toasting his memory went viral, spawning the 'Justice for Chad' movement

A shooting in Lubbock, Texas, has gone viral on social media, spawning the 'Justice for Chad' movement. TikTok producers are seeking answers after a video of the victim's family toasting to the victim's memory was seen over 4 million times.

According to press accounts, Chad Read was shot and killed by Kyle Carruth on November 5 during a violent custody battle. Read has children with Christina, his ex-wife, who was romantically involved with Carruth. Read is heard fighting with Carruth about the children in a video released from the confrontation. Carruth then enters the room and reappears with what looks to be a shotgun.

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When the authorities come, Read was already dead. It was a murder, according to Read's relatives. Carruth's representatives claim it was an act of self-defence. However, the apparent inactivity of the Lubbock Police Department and the Lubbock County District Attorney has sparked a debate.

Carruth has not been charged or detained in connection with the incident. The Lubbock Police Department was contacted by local media outlets but no statement has been released about the case. Carruth's identity was not revealed to the press until local media discovered his identity through documents from his divorce suit. Those documents were subsequently locked from public access once his name was known. Madison Luscombe, who claims to be Read's stepdaughter on TikTok, posted a video of her family grieving and toasting his memory while demanding "Justice for Chad."

"Our stepfather was shot and killed 10 days ago by a man with high-profile links in our town," the caption says. "Would you please assist us in getting the word out about this storey..." Luscombe demonstrates in a follow-up video how the broad attention on her original post has translated into behind-the-scenes work."YouTubers and TikTokers have contacted us, as well as local, national, and podcast media," she continues. "In our local newspaper yesterday, Kyle Carruth was listed as a suspect in Chad's shooting and death," she says. "This is the first time he's been mentioned in the local press in two weeks."

According to the TikToker, the family wants an inquiry opened, but even the increased public coverage is being considered a win. Supporters of 'Justice for Chad' are also invited to contact the Attorney General's office and demand that an inquiry be launched. Carruth's work with gun rights organisations has also gotten him a lot of attention on the internet. Shannon Watts, the founder of the anti-gun violence organisation — Moms Demand Action — commented about the case on Instagram and Twitter. Carruth is a leader of the Lubbock 2nd Amendment Coalition and a "gun extremist," according to her.

Watts also directed the attention of the 'Justice for Chad' supporters to a 2015 radio interview with Carruth, in which he expressed his opposition to gun-free zones and incremental safety measures. In the interview, Carruth states, “It is absolutely unsafe,” adding, "it has been proven that gun-free zones enhance the chance of an active shooter." Luscombe told that she wanted the world to know that Chad "loved his kids" and that, while she and her family believe in the 2nd Amendment, Carruth's actions were completely wrong.

Luscome went on to say that she eventually came out to make the now-viral TikTok video after being pushed to do so by her friends. "It had been almost a week, no charges had been filed, and he had never been apprehended on the scene," she said about the TikTok video. "We were furious. We'd had enough of sitting around and being silent."