Chicago police probe shooting apparently caught live on video
Chicago police are investigating an attempted murder that the victim apparently captured in real-time using Facebook Live, officials said Friday.
The two-minute video, which went viral on the Internet, showed the victim, a man wearing a cap and sweatshirt, in the street talking on his smartphone in "selfie" mode on Thursday.
Shots ring out and the man appears to fall to the ground, while his smartphone shows the apparent shooter holding a gun with both hands.
The video sequence registers some 15 shots.
Police said the victim, a 31-year-old who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, underwent surgery and remained in critical condition.
"He was shot by an offender that approached on foot, fired shots and fled in a vehicle," police spokeswoman Janel Sedevic said, adding that no arrests had been made.
The mother of the victim told the Chicago Tribune that she found her son soon after the shooting. She said she had seen the video, and then broke down in tears.
Chicago, one of the biggest cities in America with more than 2.7 million residents, has seen a surge in gun violence as gangs fight for drug-trafficking turf.
At least 10 people were shot on Thursday in different parts of the city, three of whom were killed, the Chicago Tribune reported.
According to the latest statistics published Friday by city police, there were 677 shootings in Chicago in the first three months of the year, compared with 359 shootings in the same period last year.