This is a sad, sad story on several levels.
A 24-year-old Japanese man committed suicide on Tuesday after being suspended from his job at a bank, according to The Telegraph. He’d apparently “announced his intention to kill himself in online chat rooms last week,” and took things a step further Sunday night by initiating a live video stream using the popular Ustream website.
He again expressed his intentions to kill himself and, according to The Telegraph:
“While some people posted messages attempting to talk him out of going through with his plans, others encouraged him to kill himself. Apparently believing they were watching a hoax, some viewers even suggested that he hurry up and get it over with.”
I contacted Ustream to confirm the story, and was told by company VP Lynn Fox, “Yes, I can confirm the reports. We removed the content as soon as we detected it, and contacted the appropriate authorities.”
The Telegraph reports that footage showed the man attempting to hang himself unsuccessfully at around 4:00 in the morning on Tuesday. A second attempt about an hour and a half later ended his life. “People watching online debated whether the footage was genuine until Ustream halted the broadcast and the police were informed,” according to the article.
[via The Huffington Post]
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