Reddit shuts down 'FindNavyYardShooters' page

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Officials with social media website Reddit said they shut down a page dedicated to finding the Washington Navy Yard shooter because it violated site rules.

The page went up Monday during the massacre of 12 people and the death of the alleged gunman at the naval facility. It was initially posted as a so-called subreddit -- the term used for specialized communities on Reddit, CNN reported Tuesday.

"We banned it because it violated site rules by encouraging the posting of personal information," Reddit General Manager Erik Martin said in a statement. "We don't allow the posting of personal information under any circumstances."

The website had to apologize this spring after users identified potential suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing who turned out to have nothing to do with the attack, which killed three people and injured more than 260 others, CNN said.

The report said Reddit users who click on "FindNavyYardShooters" are directed to the image of yellow "caution" tape over a closed door, with a message saying the subreddit was shut down.