US shooting puts spotlight on live video, Zuckerberg calls it 'heartbreaking'

The live online footage of Philando Castile being shot dead by the police has raised questions on Facebook’s policies for streaming live videos. The video was broadcasted by the victim’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, showing his blood-stained wounds moments before he was shot dead during a traffic stop in Minnesota suburb, US.

The video shows Reynolds telling a worldwide audience that her companion had been shot "for no apparent reason" while reaching for his wallet. His girlfriend was present at the time of the incident and managed to shoot the video and post it on Facebook. The video went viral until Facebook pulled down the video for undisclosed reasons.

The media reported that Facebook claimed it to be a ‘technical glitch’. However, there was no explanation if it really was a technical glitch or the social media giant’s policy on censorship for live videos.

The video was taken down by Facebook for an hour claiming it to be a ‘technical glitch’. Later, the video resurfaced with a disclaimer warning, ‘Videos that contain graphic content can shock, offend and upset. Are you sure you want to see this?’

In response to the video, Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page, ‘The images we've seen this week are graphic and heartbreaking, and they shine a light on the fear that millions of members of our community live with every day.’