A STORY falsely reporting a shooting in Toowoomba is circulating online.

The story with the headline "3 dead, 26 wounded in Toowoomba shooting" was published on gvetonew.com and reads: "Disputes between drug dealers are believed to be partially responsible for more than two dozen shootings in which three people were killed over the weekend, Toowoomba police said."

"From Friday through Sunday, gunfire wounded 26 people across the city, according to police."

The story is a re-write of a legitimate article from Detroit published by Detroit News on August 10.

The disturbing story had some residents alarmed with Jessica Symonds writing on Facebook: "If this is a joke it's f@&"ing a sick one! I have been told by multiple people it is."

The false story includes a picture of Toowoomba police officers.

The Chronicle has attempted to contact gvetonew.com for comment.

Sergeant Alan Dixon from Toowoomba Police confirmed that no such shooting had taken place in Toowoomba.