OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) — Police are urging community members to be careful when live streaming an active investigation like Saturday’s murder and attempted suicide in Ogden, where many did so.
Law enforcement says they do not mind community members recording events, but said when it is live, they never know what is going to happen.
Several community members live-streamed the events in Ogden and tell ABC4 they did it for safety reasons, and because of the thrill of police presence in their neighborhood.
“I felt bad filming it, but at the same time i just couldn’t stop,” says Dale Campbell Jr.
Campbell says he just couldn’t stop live-streaming a SWAT standoff that ended with a man shooting himself.
“As soon as I found out what was going on, I just didn’t know if I should stop or keep going,” says Campbell.
He says he kept the video rolling for almost three hours.
“It is just weird,” Campbell tells ABC4. “I never ever thought I’d see that in my whole entire life; I mean you see that on TV all the time and it doesn’t bother you.”
As ABC4 reported Saturday, a 41-year-old woman was shot and killed in Ogden’s Smith’s parking lot. Police said the suspect in that case was her ex-boyfriend, who later shot himself during that hours-long SWAT standoff that many community members live-streamed.
“In the moment it might seem like the right thing to do or the exciting thing to do, however, it is incredibly traumatizing to everyone who is involved,” says Utah’s Domestic Violence Coalition Spokesperson Liz Soliz.
Campbell says he was at his brother’s house filming the standoff. He tells ABC4 he feels bad about what happened.
“Maybe it was stupid to do it, but it’s done it’s over, but I’m going to have to live with it like everybody else,” says Campbell.
Solis encourages the community to think it over before you go live.
“I think it’s an easy message to support, which is just exercise caution and really think twice before you are going to live-stream something that right out of the gate is going to end violently,” says Solis.
Campbell’s video is still up on Facebook, but tells ABC 4 he is thinking about deleting it.
Solis recommends he do delete the video.
If you are involved in any domestic violence or intimate partner violence there is 24/7 help by calling 1-800-897-LINK.