A Brooklyn teen was shot and killed while rapping on Facebook Live on Tuesday.
Jeremiah Dickey, 19, was found in a car with a gunshot wound to his head near his New York City home. Various reports say Dickey was broadcasting live on the social media website when the deadly shooting happened.
The New York Police Department responded to a 911 call at around 6:45 p.m., the department told CNN in a statement.
Dickey was pronounced dead after being taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, according to People.
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“I just miss my son,” mom Debra Dickey told CNN. “I shouldn’t have to be sitting here sobbing while they’re still out there running free.”
According to police, they’re still searching for the suspect, who reportedly fled the scene after the shooting.
Police officials wouldn’t confirm the shooting happened on Facebook Live. However, Facebook confirmed to CNN that the 35-second video was taken down.
“This is a terrible incident and our thoughts are with the victim and his loved ones,” a Facebook spokesperson told CNN.
In the since-removed Facebook video, CNN says, Dickey could be seen rapping along to a song from inside a car. He then reportedly takes a look around him, then the sounds of five gunshots ring out.
The New York Daily News reports that his phone then dropped and the screen went black. The song playing in the background was reportedly 30 by Brooklyn rapper Blizzy Banks.
“I thought it was a firecracker or people playing,” Yi Lin, a clerk at a nearby store, told NBC News. “I didn’t know it was that serious.”
A neighbour told NBC that Dickey was on Facebook Live at the time and that it’s clear the popping sounds were gunshots.
“The guy literally got shot in front of my friend’s house,” neighbour Walter Mendoza said. “It’s horrible.”
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A young woman who appears to be Dickey’s sister shared a photo of the pair on Facebook. The New York Daily News identified the same woman in a separate photo on the page as Dickey’s sister.
“I never thought I would lose my little brother. It wasn’t real to me at first but now I’m feeling it … You was just at the wrong place with the wrong people! But trust me when I say I won’t forget about you,” Facebook user Mei Liang wrote.
It’s unclear as yet what led to the shooting, and investigations are underway, police say.
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