Facebook Live Facing Strong Criticism Again After Man Shoots Himself in the Head While Streaming
On Tuesday, an Alabama police department received troubling news that a man had committed suicide while streaming on Facebook Live. The Baldwin County sheriff’s office was notified by a woman who worried that her boyfriend — James M. Jeffrey — may harm himself because of a breakup.
According to AL.com, the couple was in the middle of the breakup when Jeffrey stopped responding to the unidentified woman. She then phoned the sheriff's office to alert them of a possible suicide.
Deputies arrived at Jeffrey’s home in Robertsdale, Ala., shortly after 11 p.m. Upon entering the 49-year-old’s residence, they found him dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Police received reports that Jeffrey streamed the entire incident on Facebook Live.
This incident follows a Facebook Live killing from earlier in the week: Wuttisan Wongtalay from Thailand streamed himself killing his 11-month-old daughter before killing himself.
Earlier this month the nation was devastated to watch the tragic Facebook killing of 74-year-old Robert Goodwin. He was killed by Steve Stephens, who broadcast the shooting on Facebook.
The Baldwin County sheriff’s department spoke on the disturbing trend of public killings.
“This was a first for us,” Baldwin County sheriff’s deputy Anthony Lowery told USA Today. “I hope this isn’t a trend starting. It’s one thing to commit suicide. It’s another thing to victimize other people.”
The string of live killings have made many question the necessity of Facebook Live.
