A teenager accidentally shot himself while his friends watch on Instagram Live. The 13-year-old boy from Georgia identified as Malachi Hemphill was found dead in his room while Instagram Live was still running.
Hemphill died via a gunshot wound to his head. The teen took to Instagram Live while he toggled with a gun. Reports said the boy was asked as to why the gun he's handling doesn't have a clip. USA Today added that he was then told to put one.
Unfortunately, the gun ticked when Hemphill was putting on the clip, taking his life. His mother, Shaniqua Stephens, and her daughter rushed upstairs where they saw Malachi on the ground with a pool of blood. His sister then realized that his phone was still on, which resulted in a majority of his friends seeing him shot himself live.
“As he put the clip in the gun that is when the gun went off," Malachi's mom said. "I just knew that it was something that was wrong, We kicked in the door. We found him just laying there in a pool of blood. My daughter screamed and said, ‘Mom turn his phone off!' As I proceeded to look at his phone he was on Instagram Live.”
Authorities did not consider the incident as suicide as it was a clear case of accidental firing. The detectives were still on the lookout as to where the gun came from. As for the teen, he was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
More than 40 of Malachi's friends gathered in front of his house just a few minutes after his accident was streamed — a clear proof that they were able to witness the tragic accident. Due to the incident, Stephens urged parents to monitor their children's social activities to avoid such accidents.
Parents should bee keen when it comes to checking on their children's social media activities. Checking on the kids' social media activity from time to time can protect them from cyber bullying and other activities that can lead to their destruction, as advised by the Parenting website.
