A thirteen year old boy shot himself in the head on Instagram Live.
Monday evening, Malachi Hemphill, 13, was showing off a gun on Instagram Live when he accidentally shot himself in the head. Sadly, his friends who were tuned in witnessed the the horrifying shooting.
Hemphill’s mother, Shaniqua Stephens, stated that she had just watched her son take the trash out of their Forest Park, Georgia home minutes before she heard a loud bang. Stephens and her daughter ran upstairs and kicked in Hemphill’s door and found him lying in a pool of blood.
Stephens told WXIA, “My daughter screamed and said: ‘Mom turn his phone off!’ As I proceeded to look at his phone he was on Instagram Live.” Apparently, days before the shooting, Hemphill had traded his iPhone for the semi-automatic gun.
According to friends, someone watching Hemphill’s live stream suggested that he put a clip in the gun, and that’s when the firearm accidentally went off. Hemphill’s family strongly believe it was an accident, not suicide.
Shantiera Bankston stated, “That is my godson, Malachi. He was 13 years old and he was in his bedroom playing with a gun on Instagram Live. He was full of life, he was a good kid, very active, loved dancing.”
“He did not kill himself. He loved life, he was just playing with a gun and the gun went off… If somebody would have said something, maybe he’d be still here.”
Stephens added, “This is just a pain that will never go away. He was my only son. He was just only 13. Just the thought of me seeing him on the floor will never leave my brain.”
Check out the video below.
