Teen accidentally kills himself in front of friends on Instagram live
INSIDE EDITION - A Georgia teen fatally shot himself while livestreaming on social media this week in what his mother is calling a terrible accident.
Malachi Hemphill, 13, was discovered by his mother and sister in a pool of his own blood Monday after they heard a loud boom in his Atlanta bedroom.
Malachi's phone was still streaming to Instagram Live when they found him, according to reports.
Malachi was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died. Family members are certain it wasn't a suicide.
"He did not kill himself," said his godmother, Shantirea Bankston. "He loved life; he was just playing with a gun and the gun went off."
Instead, the family — including Malachi's mom — believes the teen was showing off the gun to his Instagram friends.
The family told WGCL that Malachi got the gun from another teen several days earlier.
His father, Ernest Stephens, said Malachi shot himself in the head.
"When the accident happened inside that room, he was fighting from the time it happened," said Stephens. "Before the ambulance got here, he was still fighting."
As detectives continue to investigate the tragedy, family and friends gathered both in memory of Malachi and as a reminder that all parents must remain vigilant to prevent similar deaths.
"All we can do is just try to teach them about decisions to make and choices not to make," Stephens said.