Livestreamed crime is a phenomenon in which criminal acts are publicly

livestream Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...

ed on social media platforms such as

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...

Facebook Live Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of ...

. Due to the fact that livestreams are accessible instantaneously, it is difficult to quickly detect and moderate violent content, and almost impossible to protect the

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

of victims or bystanders. Livestreaming crime allows anyone from the public to become a distant witness. " Trash streaming" is a YouTube

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...

in which livestreamers solicit donations in exchange for carrying out

dare Dare may refer to: Places * Dare, Vera Cruz, a ''suco'' in Vera Cruz administrative post, Dili Municipality, Timor-Leste * Darè, Italy, a comune * Dare County, North Carolina, United States * Dare, Virginia, United States, an unincorporate ...

s on-stream, which are often abusive or criminal.

History

In April 2016, Marina Lonina, age 18; and Raymond Gates, age 29, were arrested in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, US, on charges that Gates raped an underage friend of Lonina's while Lonina live streamed the crime on

Periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...

. The prosecutor pointed out that Lonina, who was taken advantage of by a much older man, had become "caught up" in her excitement over the number of " likes" she was getting, and is shown on screen "laughing and giggling". Joss Wright of the

Oxford Internet Institute The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research, combining social and computer science to explore information, communication, and technology. It is an integral part of the University of Oxford's Social Science ...

pointed out that, given the "volume of content being created and uploaded every day,

here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...

is almost no practical way to prevent content like this being uploaded and shared". By May, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' was including the Periscope rape as one of a series of recent cases in which crimes were live streamed. These included one in which a young woman in

Égly Égly () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France in northern France around 30 km (20 miles) south of Paris. Population Inhabitants of Égly are known as ''Aglatiens'' in French. ...

, France, spoke via Periscope about her distress and suicidal thoughts and was apparently encouraged by viewers to kill herself, which she did by throwing herself under a train. Also included was the case of two teenagers who live streamed themselves bragging and laughing as they beat up a drunken man in a bar in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, France.

Types

Cybersex trafficking

Cybersex trafficking, also referred to as live streaming sexual abuse, involves sex trafficking and the

live streaming Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...

of coerced sexual abuse or

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

. Victims are abducted, threatened, or deceived and transferred to "cybersex dens". The dens can be in any location where the cybersex traffickers have a computer, tablet, or phone with

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

connection. Perpetrators use

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

networks,

videoconferencing Videotelephony (also known as videoconferencing or video calling) is the use of audio signal, audio and video for simultaneous two-way communication. Today, videotelephony is widespread. There are many terms to refer to videotelephony. ''Vide ...

pornographic Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings ...

video sharing websites, dating pages,

chat room The term chat room, or chatroom (and sometimes group chat; abbreviated as GC), is primarily used to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any technology, ranging from ...

s, apps,

dark web The dark web is the World Wide Web content that exists on darknets ( overlay networks) that use the Internet but require specific software, configurations, or authorization to access. Through the dark web, private computer networks can communica ...

sites, and other online platforms. Online payment systems and

cryptocurrencies A cryptocurrency (colloquially crypto) is a digital currency designed to work through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. Individual coin ownership records ...

are often used for anonymity. Millions of reports of cybersex trafficking are sent to authorities annually. Local authorities in Cambodia have expressed concern that new laws and police procedures are necessary to combat this type of

cybercrime Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or Computer network, networks. It has been variously defined as "a crime committed on a computer network, especially the Internet"; Cyberc ...

War crimes and cyberterrorism

A war crime is the act of breaking the laws of war, and in recent years, there have been more instances of people or groups live-streaming such acts to instill fear into the public. Some groups create websites or use the dark web to host these live streams. Many times, the videos are of hostages or prisoners of war that are used as leverage or as a means of exerting fear and control.

Instances

2008

* 8 June: A bystander livestreamed the

Akihabara massacre The was an incident of mass murder that took place on 8June 2008, in the Akihabara shopping quarter in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The perpetrator, 25-year-old of Susono, Shizuoka, vehicle-ramming attack, drove into a crowd with a rented truck, ini ...

Ustream IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream and IBM Cloud Video) is an American virtual events platform company which is a division of IBM. Prior to the IBM acquisition, it had more than 180 employees across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest office ...

, attracting an audience of 2,000 viewers. Another user also used Ustream to livestream the massacre's aftermath, including police and public response.

2015

*12 July: Two West Weber, Utah teenagers were arrested after filming themselves stealing ice cream from a truck while livestreaming on Periscope.

2016

*14 June: 27-year-old Antonio Perkins was fatally shot while streaming on

in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. *1 August: Korryn Gaines of

Randallstown, Maryland Randallstown is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is named after Christopher and Thomas Randall, two 18th-centu ...

livestreamed her actions on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

and

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

as she resisted arrest and started an armed standoff with the police, which ended with Gaines being fatally shot and her five-year-old son sustaining injuries to his face and arm after being hit by stray bullets. August 4, 2016. *November: A

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is a city in Jackson County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,309 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Interstate 94 in Michigan, Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127 in Michigan, U.S ...

man livestreamed himself breaking into a home and shooting a woman on Facebook Live.

2017

* 1 January: A

Reynoldsburg, Ohio Reynoldsburg is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, Fairfield, Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin, and Licking County, Ohio, Licking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburban community in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. The population ...

woman livestreamed herself taping her toddler to a wall on

. She later uploaded a video taunting viewers who had called child protective services on her. * 3 January: A torture incident in Chicago, in which an 18-year-old mentally-disabled white male was filmed being physically and verbally abused by four black individuals (two men and two women), was livestreamed by one of the women on

and sparked massive controversy. * 21 January: In

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, two Afghan immigrants and one Swedish citizen livestreamed the gang rape of a woman on Facebook. * 10 April: A

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

man shot at passing cars and police officers while livestreaming on Facebook Live. * 16 April: A

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

man livestreamed the Killing of Robert Godwin Sr. * 24 April: A

Phuket Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...

man livestreamed himself killing his newborn daughter on Facebook. He soon after committed suicide.

2018

* 22 February: A

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...

man livestreamed himself on Facebook Live as he drove through the front doors of a hospital, before setting himself on fire. The man was treated for burn injuries and arrested. * 4 April: A

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

teenager accidentally shot his friend while playing with a gun on Instagram Live. * 26 August: David Katz shot 12 people during a video game tournament, killing two. The shooting was livestreamed by the event's Twitch stream. * 10 December: An Australian man struck his girlfriend after a livestreamed altercation that ensued while the man was playing ''

Fortnite ''Fortnite'' is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in seven distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: '' Fortnite Battle Roy ...

''. The man pleaded guilty to assault.

2019

* 15 March: Two mass shootings occurred at the Al Noor Mosque and the

Linwood Islamic Centre The Linwood Islamic Centre was a Sunni Islamic mosque in Linwood, Christchurch, New Zealand. Opened in 2018, targeted in the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, the mosque was demolished in 2023, with plans to establish a new mosque on the site ...

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, where 51 people were killed and 40 were injured by 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The first attack was livestreamed by the shooter on

for 17 minutes; they were described by then-Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...

as "one of the darkest days in New Zealand history". Following the shootings, Facebook announced restrictions on Facebook Live on those who posted violent extremist material. * 22 March: Vlad Cristian Eremia, 26, stabbed a 77-year-old

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, Father Claude Grou, in

Saint Joseph's Oratory Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal ( French: ''Oratoire Saint-Joseph-du-Mont-Royal'') is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located at 3800 Queen Mary Road in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood on Mount Royal's Westmount S ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

; the attack was captured on a livestream by Salt + Light Television. * 9 October: Stephan Balliet committed a shooting near a synagogue and kebab restaurant in Halle,

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, resulting in two dead and two others injured; the attack was livestreamed on Twitch. * 29 December: Keith Thomas Kinnunen opened fire at the West Freeway Church of Christ in

White Settlement, Texas White Settlement is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a northwestern suburb of Fort Worth. The population was estimated to be 18,084 in 2021. The city is bordered by Lockheed Martin and the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Bas ...

, US, fatally shooting two people before he was shot and killed by an armed member of the congregation. The shooting was livestreamed on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

because the church livestreamed its services.

2020

* 8 February:

Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...

Sergeant Jakrapanth Thomma killed 29 and wounded 57 people in a mass shooting in Thailand. A portion of the shooting at the

Terminal 21 Terminal 21 Asok and Grand Centre Point Hotel Terminal 21 () is a chain of mixed-use complexes with 4 locations in Thailand; Asok and Rama III in Bangkok, Korat, and Pattaya. The first location was opened in October 2011, located on Sukhumvit R ...

Korat mall was livestreamed by the perpetrator on Facebook Live. * 20 May: Armando "Junior" Hernandez, a 20-year-old livestreamed his attack at the Westgate Entertainment District in

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Located about nine miles northwest of the state capital Phoenix, Glendale is known for State Farm Stadium, which is the home of the Arizona Cardinals football team. The city al ...

, US where three people were wounded, on

Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia social media and instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of the app are that pictures and messages, known as "snaps", are usually availa ...

. * 26 May: A man in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

livestreamed himself on

on a highway overpass saying he thought people were following him. He then began to fire on passing vehicles on the road below. * July: A

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

teen was murdered while livestreaming on Instagram in a church parking lot. * 8 November: A

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

man killed his girlfriend at her home while live on Facebook. Shortly before the livestream, the man also killed the woman's grandfather.

2021

*6 January: Far-right personality Anthime Gionet, better known as "Baked Alaska", took part in the storming of the U.S. Capitol and livestreamed the event on

DLive DLive is an American video live streaming service which was founded in 2017. It was purchased by BitTorrent in 2019. Due to the site's lax enforcement of prohibited content guidelines, DLive has become a popular alternative to YouTube and Twit ...

. *22 March: Ahmad Al Aliwi Al-Issa, age 21, shot and killed ten people in a mass shooting in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

, US. A portion of the shooting at a King Soopers supermarket was livestreamed on

by a bystander. *10 April: A

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

student abroad in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

was attacked with a knife during a robbery streamed by a bystander on YouTube. *29 April: A

Prichard, Alabama Prichard is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 19,322 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 18,816 in 2023. Prichard borders the north side of Mobile, Ala ...

man livestreamed himself abusing his wife on Facebook Live. *7 June: A

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

woman threatened to shoot a man and a woman over the course of four livestreams done on Facebook Live. *19 August: 15-year-old Hugo Jackson livestreamed himself via

stabbing a faculty member at his secondary school in Eslöv, Sweden. The attacker used a head-mounted camera on a helmet to livestream the attack and wore body armour similar to Brenton Tarrant, whom he had quoted in his manifesto. *20 August: 19-year-old Aidan Ingalls shot a man to death and critically injured his wife on the South Haven Pier before turning the gun on himself halfway down. The entire shooting lasted around a minute and was captured on

WWMT WWMT (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States, serving West Michigan as an affiliate of CBS. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and maintains studios on West Maple Street in Kalamazoo ...

's beach camera, which was being livestreamed on YouTube. *25 September: After threatening to kill somebody on a separate video, a 27-year-old

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

man placed his phone against a trash can and livestreamed himself on Facebook attacking two police officers with a brick.

2022

*15 January: Malik Faisal Akram took multiple people hostage at Congregation Beth Israel, a Jewish

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

in Colleyville, Texas, United States. A portion of the hostage-taking was livestreamed on the synagogue's Facebook account. *18 April: A

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

man fatally stabbed a woman while she was on Facebook Live. *14 May: Payton S. Gendron killed 10 people and injured three others while livestreaming the shooting on Twitch, inside and in the parking lot of the

Tops Friendly Markets Tops Friendly Markets is an American supermarket chain based in Amherst, New York, that operates stores in Upstate New York, Vermont, and Northern Pennsylvania. The chain operates full-scale supermarkets. Tops is a subsidiary of Northeast ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, US. 11 of the 13 people shot were black. *15 June: A

West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana West Baton Rouge Parish (, Spanish: ''Parroquia del Oeste de Baton Rouge'') is one of the sixty-four parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Established in 1807, its parish seat is Port Allen. With a 2020 census population of 27,199 resident ...

reserve deputy filmed himself on Facebook firing at a fleeing vehicle as he and a full-time deputy investigated a vehicle theft. The reserve deputy was fired and later charged with illegal discharge of a weapon. *28 June: An

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's popu ...

man was shot and killed on Facebook Live due to a purported argument. *24 July:

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

-based pastor

Lamor Whitehead Lamor Miller-Whitehead, also known as "Pastor Bling Bling" (born April 30, 1978), is an American Protestant pastor, scammer, and convicted felon, known also for his close relationship with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and his ostentatious di ...

and his wife were robbed of more than $1,000,000 worth of jewelry during a livestreamed church service. *7 September: During a

shooting spree A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders in a short time, often in multiple locations. There are different opinions about what durations of time a killing spree may take place in. The United States ...

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, Ezekiel Kelly, a 19-year-old man, livestreamed himself on Facebook Live entering an AutoZone store and critically wounding an employee. *22 December: A

Handsworth, West Midlands Handsworth () is an inner-city area of Birmingham in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historically in Staffordshire, Handsworth lies just outside Birmingham City Centre and near the town of Smethwick. In 2021 the ...

man stabbed three people, killing one, in a "drink and drug-fuelled rampage" on Facebook Live.

2023

* 25 March: A

Columbus, Mississippi Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Mississippi, Lowndes County, on the eastern border of Mississippi, United States, located primarily east, but also north and northeast of the Tombigbee River, which is also part of the ...

woman fatally shot a man in a domestic violence incident on Facebook Live. * 26 March: At a Starbucks in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, 37-year-old Paul Schmidt was fatally stabbed by Inderdeep Singh Gosal after requesting him not to vape around his young daughter. Bystander Alex Bodger livestreamed and commentated to TikTok Schmidt bleeding to death without offering any assistance. * 10 April: 25-year-old Connor James Sturgeon livestreamed on Instagram as he opened fire at a bank he previously worked at in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, killing five and wounding eight before being fatally shot by police. * 25 April: Two women in

Holmes County, Mississippi Holmes County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi; its western border is formed by the Yazoo River and the eastern border by the Big Black River. The western part of the county is within the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. As of the 2020 c ...

were fatally shot on Facebook Live after a fight. * 27 April: A

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

man barricaded himself for several hours in a standoff with the FBI before being fatally shot, all while livestreaming on Facebook Live. * 23 May: Two men were attacked with a knife while livestreaming on

Douyin TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

in Xiamen, China. * 7 June: A

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

woman "fired wildly" during an argument on a Facebook Live broadcast. * 16 June: A

Doda, Jammu and Kashmir Doda is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in the Indian States and union territories of India, union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. Doda has an average elevation of . Climate The clim ...

man murdered a relative with an axe during a Facebook Live broadcast. * 23 July: After murdering his ex-girlfriend and her sister, a Tallahassee, Florida man streamed his suicide on Facebook Live. * August: An Oklahoma teenager was accidentally shot in the face by another teenager. * 11 August: A

Gradačac Gradačac () is a city located in the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, roughly south of the Sava river. As of 2013, ...

man shot and killed his ex-wife and two other people live on Instagram. He also wounded a police officer and two others before killing himself. * 7 October: During the

2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinians, Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 ...

, Hamas fighters livestreamed the attack through Facebook Live, sometimes from phones stolen from Israelis. * 9 October: An 18-year-old

Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...

man livestreamed on Facebook as he attempted to attack Israeli soldiers with a construction vehicle. * 20 October: Two

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

teenagers accused of a fatal drive-by shooting livestreamed a car chase and their subsequent arrest on Instagram Live. * 22 October: A San Antonio man shot at a dog during a livestream. * 29 October: A shooting during Halloween festivities at

Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mai ...

, a neighborhood in

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, which resulted in two dead was livestreamed on Instagram Live by victims. * 5 November: A

Calamba, Misamis Occidental Calamba, officially the Municipality of Calamba (; ), is a municipality in the province of Misamis Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,227 people. Calamba is previously a barrio of Plaridel known ...

radio host was shot and killed during a Facebook Live broadcast. * 12 December: A group of friends in a

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...

rental were livestreaming when their house was shot at in a drive-by shooting, wounding a woman. * 12 December: An

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

driver in Mexico was shot dead during a struggle while driving and streaming on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

. * 15 December: 54-year-old Serhiy Batryn detonated three grenades during a meeting at Keretsky town hall, killing one and wounding 26. The meeting was being livestreamed at the time of the attack. * 19 December: A

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

man stabbed and wounded a person on Facebook Live.

2024

* 2 January: A

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 71,158 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River adjacent to th ...

man engaged in a shootout with police on Facebook Live following a domestic violence call. * 4 January: Student Dylan Butler livestreamed a mass shooting at his high school in Perry, Iowa, killing two people and injuring six others before committing suicide. * 8 January: A

San Rafael, California San Rafael ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Raphael (archangel), St. Raphael", ) is a city in and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of th ...

woman stabbed her mother to death on Facebook Live. * 8 February: Indian politician Mauris Noronha shot and killed his rival Abhishek Ghosalkaron on Facebook Live before killing himself. * 13 April: A man livestreamed himself as he fired several shots from a rifle while on the roof of a

Marina del Rey, California Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The eponymous harbor is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles ar ...

apartment building. * 29 April: A 22-year-old

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

woman struck, bit, and stabbed a woman on Facebook Live. She was charged with aggravated battery. * 9 May: A Korean YouTuber fatally stabbed another YouTuber on a livestream. * 23 May: A

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

man fired several shots at a random person inside a

Kroger The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinc ...

supermarket while on Facebook Live. * 31 May: The

2024 Mannheim stabbing On 31 May 2024 at 11:34am, a mass stabbing took place at a rally hosted by the counter-jihad and Criticism of Islam, Islam critic group, Citizens' Movement Pax Europa (BPE) in the market square in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Six peopl ...

, in which an Islamic extremist stabbed a police officer to death and wounded five other people during an anti-Islam rally, was captured on a YouTube livestream. * 7 June: As he disputed with homeless people in downtown

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

, a livestreaming YouTuber shot and wounded a man. The YouTuber was sentenced to three years in prison. * 26 June: 19-year-old Australian Jordan Patten livestreamed himself attempting to commit a mass stabbing in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...

, but eventually gave up. No one was injured. * 12 August: 18-year-old Arda Küçükyetim livestreamed himself stabbing and injuring five people outside a mosque in Eskişehir, Turkey. * 2 September: A

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

student was killed and another man wounded on a TikTok livestream. * 5 November: A man assaulted a Arizona Department of Child Safety employee at an agency office in

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...

, livestreaming himself on

placing the employee in a chokehold. The attacker was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder. * 5 November: A Florida woman livestreamed the murder of a 34-year-old woman in Sanford. The woman streamed her girlfriend, 35-year-old Savon Chantay Tyler, bringing a gun and baseball bat to the victim's apartment before a physical altercation ensued and Tyler shot the victim. * 30 November: A 17-year-old student livestreamed a hammer attack on two classmates at a school in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

, Mexico. * 7 December: A Jamaican TikToker was shot to death on a livestream in

Saint Catherine Parish Saint Catherine () is a parish in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island's largest and most economically valued parishes because of its many resources. It includes the first capital of Ja ...

2025

* 22 January: A 17-year-old student at Antioch High School in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

live-streamed a shooting on

Kick A kick is a physical strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee strike). This type of ...

, killing one student and injuring another before killing himself. * 29 January: Salwan Momika, a Swedish former Muslim and atheistic critic of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

known for burning the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

in public, was shot and killed on a

live stream at his home in

Södertälje Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. It is also a part of Stockholm urban area, Greater Stockholm Metropolitan Area. As of 2020, it has 73,872 inhabitants. Södert� ...

. * 2 March: Twitch streamers

Valkyrae Rachell Marie Hofstetter (born January 8, 1992), better known as Valkyrae, is an American online streamer and YouTuber. She is a co-owner of the gaming organization 100 Thieves and founder and CEO of the media company Hihi Studios. Hofstetter ...

, Emiru, and Cinna were stalked by a man while livestreaming their visit to

Pacific Park Pacific Park is an oceanfront amusement park located in Santa Monica, California. The park, located on the Santa Monica Pier, looks directly out on the Pacific Ocean, in the direction of Santa Catalina Island. It is the only amusement park di ...

on the

Santa Monica Pier The Santa Monica Pier is a large pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. The pier is part of the greater Santa Monic ...

. After they denied giving him their phone numbers, he attempted to physically assault the women and verbally threatened to kill them. * 11 March: 22-year-old Japanese female streamer Airi Sato was stabbed to death in Tokyo, Japan, while live-streaming herself walking through the streets on the WhoWatch livestreaming app. The woman suffered multiple stab wounds to her head, neck and abdomen. She was found unconscious at the scene and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The attacker, 42-year-old Kenji Takato, had calmly carried out the assault and was later apprehended at the scene by police officers. * 15 March: A gunman opened fire at a pool tournament in Bogota, Colombia, killing two people and wounding four others. The shooting was captured on a livestream. * 19 April: A 42-year-old Greek man was shot and killed in

Kallithea Kallithea (Greek language, Greek: Καλλιθέα, meaning "beautiful view") is a suburb in Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens agglomeration and a municipality in South Athens (regional unit), south Athens regional unit. It is the eighth larges ...

while streaming on Facebook Live. * 28 April: A 25-year-old Jamaican was shot and killed by a gunman in Red Hills while livestreaming on TikTok. * 11 May: Four people were killed, including politician Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, and three others were wounded in a

mass shooting A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers use a firearm to Gun violence, kill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. There is no widely accepted specific definition, and different organizations tracking su ...

at a campaign march in Texistepec, Mexico. Gunfire was captured on a Facebook livestream. * 13 May: A 23-year-old Mexican beauty influencer was killed in a targeted shooting in

Zapopan Zapopan () is a city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Part of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Zapopan is the largest city in the state. It's best known as the home of the Virgin of Zapopan, an image of the Virgin ...

while livestreaming on TikTok. * 20 May: A 16-year-old student was arrested after livestreaming himself wounding three female classmates with a knife at a school in

Pirkkala Pirkkala (; ) is a municipality in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies to the southwest of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Pirkkala is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . I ...

, Finland. * 8 June: A 44-year-old YouTuber and his 43-year-old wife were shot and killed as he livestreamed on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...

near the Bellagio Fountains. A 41-year-old man, another YouTuber who reportedly had a feud with the victims, was charged with murder.

References

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External links

Why rising numbers of criminals are using Facebook Live to film their acts
Crimes Dark web Filmed killings Violence