Chicago police are investigating an attempted murder that the victim apparently captured in real-time using Facebook Live, officials said on 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 about 15 shots.
Police said the victim, a 31-year-old, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, underwent surgery and is 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 the US, 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.
New Chicago crime statistics showed an increase in homicides and shootings for the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year.
The Chicago Police Department’s figures released on Friday showed 141 homicides and 677 shootings through last month.
That compares with 82 homicides and 359 shootings for the first quarter of last year.
However, the department said the pace of the increase is slowing somewhat and that police have increased gun arrests and investigation stops.
Most of the increased violence is occurring on the city’s south and west sides.
In a statement released to the news media, the department said the appointment of Interim Superintendent Eddie Johnson has built up morale and renewed the department’s efforts to combat street violence.
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